Nothing Lost
by obsessedatopia
Summary: 'For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.' A visit from Stef's estranged cousin forces her to face past emotions and consider how much she may have lost at the expense of finding her happiness. Meanwhile, Jude seeks help from his siblings when he worries he will lose his good standing with their Moms. Nerd AU but independent of other stories. (Stef centric)
1. Cookies, Cakes and Cousins

**Hello folks! Welcome to a new short in my Fosters universe. Although it is in my AU it's a Stef-centric story as it's all about a cousin from her past. It focusses a lot on the relationships she had leading up to her coming-out period. Even though it's mainly a Stef story, I fully appreciate if people don't like AUs and OCs. ****There is also a kid-centric sub-plot mainly about Jude's first time in trouble at school and getting advice from Jesus and Kasey. It's about 11 chapters!**

**If you haven't read any of my other AU stories, it's not really necessary to do so because it's not based on Kasey's character. All you need to know is that she was created to explore Stef's relationship with a daughter who had some of her traits (and because it's fun to have characters that wind each other up constantly) and also because I wanted to create a character that would pick on Brandon in the way only a twin would do. She's very close (and similar in mischief level) to Jesus, is pretty sharp at school despite being quite blasé about it and**** she _really_ likes SVU. I'd say that's all you need to know.**

**It's set pre-_Nerd_ but post Callie/Jude adoption so I'd place it maybe a year after the pilot. Jude and Callie are well integrated into the family by now. So, thanks to _thesameguest _and _TheTBone _for being my testers and I hope you enjoy!**

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_For whatsoever from one place doth fall,_  
_Is with the tide unto an other brought:_  
_For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought._  
_— Edmund Spenser "The Faerie Queene"_

* * *

Stef slammed the oven door shut, blowing a hair out of her face as she heard the back door open up.

"Wow Mom, lovin' the sexy covered in flour thing you've got going on." Kasey teased.

"You look like you've had a fight with a blackboard." Brandon added.

"Did Mom make you clap erasers?" The teenagers wrapped up their routine with deliberately patronising looks.

"You're both hilarious." she replied deadpan, wiping her face. "How'd our children become so hilarious?" she asked Mike just as emotionlessly. The blob of flour she had targeted to remove had only succeeded in making her hand even messier.

"Got some here too..." Kasey pointed to a clean point on her face. "And here..." she further lied as Mike shook his head to give Stef the signal she was having her on.

As Brandon sniggered, Stef took her dirtied hand and smeared it over Kasey's face, wiping the last of the remnants onto her hair to teach her a lesson, Kasey trying to struggle away with a groan.

"Hot drink, Mike?" she offered once she was satisfied she had made her point.

"Sure, why not. I'll get it." He moved off to boil the kettle as Stef looked between the three of them, Brandon pulling out his phone.

"Why are you back so early, anyway?" she asked, grabbing a towel to make sure she could wipe her face properly this time, tossing it to Kasey afterwards.

Mike signalled his head to their daughter as Stef followed its direction with a suspicious glare.

"What d'you do?" she asked seriously as Kasey quickly raised her eyebrows and tossed the towel back.

"Nothing! I just said I wanted to get back." she replied innocently.

"Yeah. Before 9..." Brandon added with a sly smile as Kasey kicked him under the table, immediately sparking Stef's alarm bells.

"9 huh? What's happening at 9?"

All eyes focussed on her as she quickly tried to think of excuses.

"To...spend more time with my whole family. I was...bored."

"Wow, thanks." Mike squeezed her shoulder.

"And I had homework. That, now you mention it, I am going to get to."

Stef let her go a few steps before bursting her bubble.

"Sit back down. I know you're going to go try watch SVU. Two weeks and you know it."

"But that was a complete over reaction!" she immediately protested. "It's inhuman and I'm not even grounded! I got detention, isn't that enough?"

"Hey, I can ground you too if it makes you feel more comfortable?" Stef suggested playfully as Kasey flopped her head into her hands.

"Am I missing something here?" Mike asked.

"Kasey was caught watching SVU on her phone in class so she's not allowed to watch for two weeks." Brandon replied smugly as she darted a glare at him.

"I told you last week, remember?" Stef reminded her former husband.

"Ahh yeah. Well it seems fair to me, kiddo." he squeezed Kasey's shoulders firmly thinking back to a rundown Stef had given him the week before.

"It's not _'fair'_, it's the stupidest punishment ever." Kasey grumbled in defiance, even though she knew it made perfect sense.

"Yeah, to fit with the stupidest crime. I think two weeks of you learning some patience will do you some good." Stef raised her eyebrow. "And a little distance from getting too emotionally absorbed in a TV show."

"It is impossible to be too emotionally involved in a TV show." She replied bluntly as Brandon turned with a laugh.

"You shouted _'Now, Dick Wolf? Really? You sadistic bastard!'_"

"Brandon..." Stef warned lazily in her wife's absence.

"I did _not_ call him a bastard."

"Kasey..." the language protests continued to fall on deaf ears.

"Yeah only because our teacher was standing over your desk before you got to it." He smirked as Stef shook her head with an eye-roll.

"OK, we've established that it was inappropriate for the classroom and the details are inappropriate for here too, so can we move on, please? Kasey - it all still stands." Stef finally got them to listen, glad that Lena hadn't been here to hear the re-telling.

"Alright, alright." Kasey sighed, giving in to her clear defeat but brushing it off. She knew it was a long shot to begin with even if Brandon had succeeded in riling her up.

"How come you're baking, anyway? You never bake." She asked Stef eager to change the topic of interest.

Stef heaved a tray of cakes out of the oven, adding them to the collection scattered around various parts of the kitchen.

"Your darling sister promised she would make 50 cakes and 50 cookies for your school bake sale tomorrow."

She turned to put the now empty tray in the sink. "And anyone who touches them loses a hand." She managed to snap both Mike and Brandon clean on the back of the theirs after catching them in the corner of her eye.

"Yeah...well...uhm..." Mike cleared his throat, pulled it back, Brandon nursing his. "So why isn't Mariana making them then?" He quickly tried to divert attention.

"Well, Mariana being Mariana she took a phone call 40 minutes ago so I'm apparently left here playing Julia Child."

"Julia Child?" Brandon looked up quizzically from his phone.

"Chef lady from like a hundred - " Kasey slowed seeing Stef's eyebrows raise.

"A hundred different cook books." The re-route was acknowledged with her Mom's headshake and a 'watch it' smile.

"Anyway..." Kasey quickly tried to change the subject. "What bake sale? They're not publicising it very well."

"They talked about it at assembly on Monday." Brandon jumped in, unable to avoid the opportunity to get one over. "You and Cooper were too busy playing _'which of us can make Brandon turn around if we alternate blowing on his neck.'_"

Kasey's eyes rolled down clearly thinking hard before they bulged in delight breaking into a laugh, her earlier anguish being fickly replaced by the memory of earlier fun.

"Oh my God, I forgot. That is the best game. Man I love it when you end up in front of us! You have the funniest little flinch thing you do with your...yeah." Her snigger drifted as she looked to both her parents with her beaming grin before noting the 3 unimpressed glares and quickly coughed to straighten her face.

"It _is_ a fun game though." She whispered to Mike who just shook his head gently with the tiniest hint of a smile. He took a sip of the coffee he had made and placed the other next to Stef.

"It's like you never want to watch SVU ever again." Stef teased through a similar look, putting another tray into the oven to replace the ones she had removed as Kasey rolled her eyes.

"I would actually die." Kasey replied seriously. "I'm not going to make the point that you probably didn't have TV shows when you were a teenager because I'm smarter than that, but if you had any idea that trauma of not being able to keep up to date when there are spoilers everywhere you look you would realise this is a completely disproportionate and gratuitous punishment." She stated with genuine conviction as Stef rescued her so far neglected mug and shook her head.

"It's true." Brandon commented without looking up. "There's one right here. Apparently Benson - "

"I swear, if you finish that sentence I will punch you so hard in the -"

"Kasey..." Stef cut off her daughter's blood-curdling whisper with a deeper but just as firm a tone. Kasey settled for a sharp nudge that Brandon returned with a smirk and a nudge back.

"And you - don't provoke her." she squinted her son. "I can't protect you forever."

"She really can't." Kasey added with menace, proving yet again that a fangirl was not to be messed with.

"Hey kids, Mike." Lena joined them, striding into the room with a smile.

"Hey Lena, drink? Kettle has just boiled."

"I'm OK thanks." She rubbed Brandon's back. "Hey, good going, babe." She looked across the mountain of cakes. "I'm finished with my finance report now, thank goodness, I can give you a hand?"

"I think it's about done. If you want to help though you could drag your daughter down here so I can strangle her." She gave an exaggerated beam as Lena shook her head, her gleaming teeth making a strong appearance.

"Oh, Stef - I forgot." Mike chimed in. "You'll never guess who's coming into town tomorrow."

She looked at him expectantly making it clear she wasn't going to attempt to.

"Tyler."

"Tyler Suggs, Tyler?"

Stef's face dropped with the name even though conversation continued around her.

"Ooh, is this an ex-boyfriend?" Kasey piped up, enjoying the distraction from thinking about what she was missing.

"Do you remember anything that isn't a TV drama? Suggs. He's Mom's cousin." Brandon replied, Kasey immediately prepared to fire back the dig.

"Her cousin?" Kasey exaggerated a gape in her brother's direction before settling into a shrug. "Well I'm surprised you of all people would judge."

"Really? Are you ever gonna let me live that down. It was like a year ago!"

"I guess my memory's not that bad after all." She turned away as Lena re-moved the tub of sprinkles Brandon was about to launch at Kasey from his grasp.

"He was best man at your wedding wasn't he?" She asked, successfully defusing the bickering.

"Mom's cousin was your best man? Have you ever had friends, Dad?" Kasey asked with a cheeky grin as Mike looked back offended.

"Hey, can I add more episodes?" He remarked, turning to Stef but instead of seeing her expected approval he was the first one to note her mind was clearly absent from the room.

"You OK?" He asked, snapping her back from her memories. She looked at the mixture of expressions around her, the others having caught onto the silence.

"Uhm, yeah." She eventually replied. "I just didn't realise he was in town. It's been a few years."

"He's staying at mine." He added, slightly surprised at how awkward her reaction had been. "I just thought you may want to, I dunno, see him or something."

Stef silently tried to collect herself as she took a sip of her coffee to bide time. Swallowing it down she forced her best smile.

"I guess. If he...well I dunno he probably has a lot of people to see."

"We should have him round tomorrow." Lena suggested obliviously. "It would be nice to meet him, he seems to have been quite a big part of your life."

"Well yeah but like a million years ago. Don't comment on that." She pointed her mug at an eager Kasey who obediently stayed silent. "You know how these things are though, he moved...we drifted. I mean, he was already more your friend than my cousin by the time we married, right?" She busied herself, clearing her baking paraphernalia.

"Well...sort of but -"

"You know I'm not sure he'll even want to come round here. He was always such a party boy, I just don't know if he'd be interested." She cut Mike off, barely having noticed his response.

"Stef. He's your cousin." Lena intervened as Stef froze, tapping her fingers down but turning before her lingering could be noticed.

"Yeah but he's also rowdy and obnoxious and -"

"and ten years older like all of us. You two were two peas in a pod..." Mike added poking his tongue out as she threw him a glare.

"I wanna meet him!" Kasey piped up. "We barely speak to anyone from your family."

"That's true! I only vaguely even remember him." Brandon added.

"Oh stop pretending you know who this guy is." Kasey rolled her eyes. "You don't remember more than I do you just recognised the name."

"Clearly I do!" He raised his shoulders.

"OK, OK - " Stef cut them off before the fight could escalate. "Sure. Bring him round to say hello. He can come round, get the kids hyped up, make Lena uncomfortable with his childishness and you two can drink like frat boys." She rallied off, the tone of her rant not going unnoticed as Mike got the silent signal from Lena that it may be best not to push things further.

"OK, then. He said he'd have eaten by the time he gets in but I'll suggest coming round after you guys have had dinner."

"Good, great. Everyone's happy. Hell, we'll probably still have half these cookies." Stef forced a laugh, clearly still edgy but otherwise pushing it aside and normalising back to kitchen routine. "Kasey, seeing as you can't watch your show anyway, you can with these dishes, please?" Kasey pushed herself off her stool softly blowing on the back of Brandon's neck as she passed, causing him to wiggle and flinch in his chair, Lena girpping the swipe of his hand before it made contact with his sister.

"See, I told you it looks hilarious!" Kasey beamed almost walking into a squared up Lena. She missed the earlier conversation but had got the gist.

"Is that what you were doing in my assembly the other day?" she challenged, a wash of realisation about the odd behaviour she had noticed but soon forgotten about. She folded her arms in a stare-down causing Kasey to stutter.

"I...uhm...I've gotta help Mom with the -"

"Mmhmm." Lena nodded, following her movement with her gaze as Stef chucked the mischievous girl the towel.

"Well, I better head back. Thanks for the coffee." Mike drained his mug passing it to Stef who nodded her farewell.

"I'll see you out." Lena responded, refocusing her attention as he said the rest of his goodbyes and they left, Brandon taking the distracted room as an opportunity to sneak a cookie.

"So this guy gonna tell us lots of your deep dark secrets?" Kasey asked, deciding that completing her chore would be more fun with some light teasing. It worked, as Stef turned to glare at her. "Give us ammunition that resorts you to _do as I say not as I do-_s_."_

Stef's imminent threat was hindered by the sound of the cookies apparently being crunchier than Brandon expected.

"Dude, like that wasn't obvious." Kasey chuckled, looking round to him as Stef turned her glare to her son instead.

"Did you just eat one of those?"

"Mnmo" he mumbled through his full mouth before deciding it was pointless. "Mwhat I'mn jsst tsstimng thmem" he added, Kasey smirking with delight as Stef moved forward to the table.

"Testing them hmm? Reach up, then there are these too."

He moved his hand forward as she scooped one up with the spatula before dropping it down and swiping his hand again.

He shook it with a yelp in defeat to the backdrop of Kasey's laughter .

"I can't believe you fell for that!" she wiped her eye before her gloating was stifled by a sharp snap on the butt.

"And you can quit buggin' me too." Stef added as the playful scolding continued.

Mike and Lena walked through to the front door before she pulled him aside.

"Is there something I should know about this?" She asked him, thinking back to Stef's bizarre behaviour. She knew that as much as she was trying to pretend this was just an annoying relative, that there was more to it than that and knowing Stef's stubbornness it may be best to get what info she could.

Taking a deep breath, Mike shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know. I thought it was weird he got in contact with me rather than Stef but we hadn't really spoken much since before the separation. Things got a little complicated round then because he was caught in the middle so he and I didn't talk much last few months he was still in California. I dunno though, maybe she just doesn't want to draw attention to her wilder days." He added awkwardly as Lena shuffled.

"Right." She looked down biting her top lip. "I guess I'll try and pry it out of Stef."

Mike nodded walking towards the threshold before turning back.

"Oh but if it helps, they were close. Like brother and sister close...grew up together, went to high school then the academy together. She may pretend he's an ass but he wasn't all that bad."

Lena nodded, leaning on the door. "Thanks, Mike. I guess we'll see you tomorrow both tomorrow night."

"See you then." He bid his final goodbye as Lena closed the door over. She sighed, leaning against it. Over their years together there had been a few times she'd had to virtually rip something out of Stef and she could tell this was going to be one of them.

**Soooo...what are people thinking? What secrets is Tyler going to bring with him? What are the chances Kasey will ever get to watch SVU again and will Brandon ever get to eat a cookie in peace? Let me know what you thought, especially if you liked it!**

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_**Next Chapter Preview: Stef and Lena wrangle the kids at breakfast and Jude finds himself dabbling with danger in class.**_

_**"Psst..." Connor tossed a piece of paper to him, Jude looking round and checking the teacher was distracted. Their science teacher, Carson, was a nice man but he did generally insist on quiet study when not engaged in practical activity.**_

_**He took it up and saw that it was a cartoon of various characters loosely based on conversations past. Seeing there was an empty box and the story incomplete he turned back round to Connor who urged him on with his head.**_

_**Checking their teacher's location again he slipped the comic onto his book and filled in the next part of the comic strip, adding a few bits of dialogue before tossing it back. Connor gave him a wide grin as he tried to keep the giggling under his breath. **_


	2. Pancakes, Procrastination and Perjury

**Thanks for the review/follows and favs folks! You're all very kind. Jude story setup - I hope you enjoy :) **

**Thanks to _thesameguest _and _TheTBone_ for their reading it through.**

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"You came to bed late last night." Lena arrived downstairs kissing Stef amid her breakfast preparation.

Stef took a double take to look, wondering where this could be heading. She could tell when Lena was in inquisition mode.

"Yeah well we had a lot of cakes to decorate and sort. By the time Mariana did come to help she didn't last long before heading to bed."

"Was that your choice or hers?" Lena smiled as Stef paused from her stirring to take a drink of coffee.

"Well let's just say post-100-cakes-me doesn't mix well with a teenage micro-manager who graces the scene after the hard work's been done. The choice was hers but I think we had a mutual understanding."

Stef continued to busy herself as Lena bit her lip trying to choose an approach back to what she really wanted to find out.

"So, you seemed a little reluctant to have your cousin round." she chose to go for the direct, knowing the kids would be down soon and they had a few minutes at best. Stef sighed, taking her frustration out on the eggs she was scrambling. She had feared that may be the route of interrogation. She gave the answer she hoped would resolve the question as painlessly as possible.

"I'm just not sure he's the kind of guy we want around the kids. He's not a good influence." Lena could see her cooking becoming more furious.

"He can't be that bad. You and Mike were hardly convicts." The spoon was driven down hard into the pan as Stef turned ready to bite back but quickly realised she hadn't actually been provoked to do so. Settling her nerves she bit her bottom lip and gave a cordial reply.

"We grew up. I don't know if Tyler has. We've barely spoken bar a few cards and he's off probably still living the high life with other musicians." She moved from her eggs to flip the pancakes, each with a similar vigour.

"I thought you were all at the academy together?" Lena probed trying to assemble what little facts she had accumulated.

"Tyler had a career change. Look, he' not a bad guy, Lena, I'm just a little concerned about suddenly giving him free rein to influence our children."

"Honey, he's coming to say hello - we're not selling them to him." Lena smirked, blowing on her mug.

"And he _is_ coming, why are we even discussing this?" She paused to look firmly into her wife's enquiring eyes.

Lena was about to challenge her despondence but they were interrupted by Mariana appearing.

"Well if it isn't the assistant that never was." Stef quickly changed topic with a menacing glare.

"Hey, you were the one who told me to leave you to it." she protested pouring a glass of orange juice.

"Yeah, for your own safety. If you're going to take a ruler to my cupcakes to check that they are evenly spread then I figured you'd rather go to bed than risk having said ruler swiping at various parts of your body."

"It's true, Mom gets way too happy slappy with kitchen implements." Brandon added having caught the end of the conversation. "Especially for someone who allegedly doesn't hit their kids."

"If that's true then you're not very smart to bring that up in a kitchen." Stef pointed out the flaw in the dig, pointing her spatula towards him once again.

"She's got you there, B!" Kasey appeared just behind "Don't awaken the devil behind the uniform. I think she became a cop purely to have the option to abuse the system and keep us to heel."

Stef gave her an unimpressed glare.

"Did I just make these children breakfast?" she asked Lena who snorted into her mug with a smile, happy enough to postpone their earlier conversation to a quieter time.

"Jude! Thank goodness. One of our good children." Stef observed as the youngest boy bobbed in. "You, my friend, are right now the only person getting pancakes and possibly any form of breakfast."

"Woah! That is definitely in child abuse region. Right, Mama? You're the sensible one!" Kasey appealed to their other Mom as Stef took their plates off the table.

"Hey you kids wanna talk yourselves into situations like this don't come crying to me. Though Stef, we do have to feed them."

"Spoil sport." Stef mocked. "I'll tell you what, you three get some of those boxes loaded up in the car and I'll consider,_ consider_ feeding you more than bread and water for breakfast."

"What did I do?" Mariana protested.

"You only informed me we had the boxes to fill the night before they were needed. _Go_."

She tapped the table with the side of her pancake spatula as they grumbled off their stools.

"What's going on?" Callie came in as she noted half the people in the room getting up to leave.

"Just some correctional behaviour training. If you kids are going to have everything catered for you, you can learn not to bite the hand that feeds you." Stef fished out the pancakes that had finally finished and put them to Callie and Jude.

"Don't have to tell you two that though, you actually understand respect and making responsible decisions; specifically, the decisions to not get on our bad side." Stef ruffled his hair he smiled as he dug into his food.

"What's for breakfast?" Jesus walked in clapping his hands together.

"That depends -" Stef replied. "You've got ten dollars and can either buy us a Mother's Day gift or a video game. Which do spend the money on?"

"Easy, gift. Obviously." He answered as Stef dropped a pancake on his plate.

"Then you're more likely to buy a more expensive game for me." He whispered to Jude and Callie who chuckled gently, Stef flipping the pancake back up into her pan and pointing to the last of the boxes. "Take that out to the car." She demanded as he grumbled, following the instruction.

"Good thing you two came along, huh?" Lena squeezed Jude's shoulder. "I'm not sure how many kids we're gonna have left if they choose to keep taking Mom on."

"Hey!" Stef nudged her as the others returned.

"OK, listen guys, while you're all here - Mom's cousin Tyler is coming to visit tonight so we want you all back as soon as possible after school so we can eat early."

Lena announced as Stef tried hard to lose herself in distributing the delayed breakfasts.

"After five?" Jesus asked.

"After four - you don't have practice today." Lena folded her arms.

"No but...well."

"Uh-oh." Stef stopped, staring at him hard.

"Oooooh." Kasey hummed lightly before getting a look of her own.

"What did you get detention for?" Mariana demanded, always having been her twin's biggest critic aside from their parents.

"I haven't..." He shovelled his breakfast into his mouth. "I just..._might_. Quite probably."

"You didn't do your history work again, did you?" she scolded before Lena took over.

"Jesus."

"I'm sorry! I just forgot about the assignment."

"Yeah well _"I'm sorry"_ for the 100th time doesn't really hack it, bud." Stef weighed in.

"How many times do we have to have the conversation about taking school seriously?" Lena folded her arms as the rest of the kids watched awkwardly at the chilling delivery.

"If you don't take your classes seriously then it reflects on the way people perceive your commitment. You get a reputation and that makes is harder for people to take _you_ seriously."

Jesus dipped his head down trying to avoid the stern glare coming at him.

"I know! I genuinely just forgot to put the assignment in my diary."

"Yeah, well if it happens again I'm gonna start monitoring your work again. I don't like having to baby you and I especially don't like the conversation with my colleagues where I have to defend my wayward children."

"OK - yes, I know. I promise I'll make it up."

She gave him one last look before turning back to the main point.

"So - home as soon as you can after school, if it's going to be later, for _whatever_ reason then please let me know." She finished as Kasey shared a sympathetic smirk with Jesus once Lena had turned away, both having had their fair share of public rebukes.

"Is your cousin staying for dinner?" Callie asked, turning the topic back

"No he's just coming to say hi." Stef replied abruptly before Lena could answer, alerting her concerns once again.

"Maybe another day." Lena added on to judge Stef's reaction, it was as uncomfortable a look as expected.

"Mom's scared he's going to tell us all of her secrets." Kasey commented, taking the conversation away from Lena who decided that she may need to see how tonight played out before picking her angle.

"I have got nothing to hide." Stef tried to pacify playfully, realising she had already come across too defensive and any more would work even further out of her favour.

"Now you guys need to get to school." She ordered as Lena looked up to the clock.

"Yes - let's go. And you -" she tapped Jesus on the shoulder. "If you do get detention today don't be flippant about it. I don't care how many you've had. They _are_ a big deal. If I have to start grounding you every time you get one to remind you of that, then I will."

"I got it. Really." He nodded with the hint of a smile, showing his charm and the reason either of his Moms could stay angry for too long. She patted his arm as he ran off.

"You may tease me about threatening them, but I wouldn't cross you, Meana." Stef commented, watching him go. "Vice Principal and enforcer of the importance of school regulation." Stef teased quietly, enjoying her wife taking on the role of the bad guy. Lena shook her head and nudged her highlighting that Jude and Mariana were still present. She momentarily considered waiting until they had left to bring the elephant in the room back up but kissed her lips instead, putting it aside for now.

"We'll talk later?" She whispered in her ear, though Stef knew it was more an instruction than a question, whether she wanted to or not. She nodded in return as Lena finally followed the rest of the troop.

"Mom..." Mariana approached, the last of the kids in the room.

"Mmhmm?" Stef asked before she was engulfed in a hug.

"Thank you for all the baking." She smiled as Stef kissed her head, after shaking her own.

"You're welcome, sweets." She sighed, raking her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Go make a lot of money." She watched as Mariana ran off and smiled to herself.

As crazy as they drove her, they'd always be the only people who gave her the moments she most cherished. She sighed heavily as she became distracted once again by their imminent visitor. She may have lost a family member or two on the way here but that didn't compare to the family she had now. She would never regret following her heart.

* * *

Jude sat staring at the board, his mind focussing in and out of the equations on it. He hated science. He had attempted about 2 of the questions before getting distracted by various stories playing in his head. There weren't many subjects that he didn't like to give his all in, but this was the third week they had been doing this topic and he was finding it more and more tedious every day. He couldn't care less about chemistry and the jargon involved was like learning a new language.

Now he had been settled in school not just for the remainder of 7th but also into 8th grade, he had regulated his scores and abilities even in his worse subjects to be consistently above average. He had found himself relaxing a little more in class and although he always eventually got the work done that he needed to do, the urgency had become a lot more manageable.

_"Psst..."_ Connor tossed a piece of paper to him, Jude looking round and checking the teacher was distracted. Their science teacher, Carson, was a nice man but he did generally insist on quiet study when not engaged in practical activity.

He took it up and saw that it was a cartoon of various characters loosely based on conversations past. Seeing there was an empty box and the story incomplete he turned back round to Connor who urged him on with his head.

Checking their teacher's location again he slipped the comic onto his book and filled in the next part of the picture in, adding a few bits of dialogue before tossing it back. Connor gave him a wide grin as he tried to keep the giggling under his breath. He mouthed a few words of clarification to Jude who tried to express what it was he had been trying to draw as Connor re-examined the piece of paper, finally nodding and stifling the volume of another laugh. He quickly knuckled down to complete his next part and the routine continued for the next half hour or so.

For the final time, Jude felt the familiar tap on his shoulder and took the piece of paper. This time however, he couldn't help but burst out a laugh, immediately trying to suppress it with his hand but too late to not catch their teacher's attention.

"Jude, Connor?" The tall gentleman turned to them.

"Is there something funny about your work?" He asked, looking at them both. Jude's heart plunged - he had never been singled out in a class before and he felt prickles of heat forming on the back of his neck as his heart thumped.

Their teacher was walking over as Jude's words were plunging further and further down into his stomach. He immediately thought back to Lena's words about taking classes seriously or people not taking your seriously.

"Well? Are you going to share the joke?" Both boys looked to each other, equally as panicked and unfamiliar to being in trouble as the other.

Carson scanned the desk as he approached and immediately zoned in on the piece of paper still locked in Jude's tightening hands.

"Give that to me, please." Carson held his hand out as Jude looked down to it. He then looked back up for what seemed more like an hour than the few moments it was. He stared at Carson's twitching hand and eventually surrendered the comic.

Carson scanned it over before folding it over and tucking it under his arm. "I assume you've finished the questions then?" He asked, his arms folding and looking to the boys, both still speechless.

"Well? Do either of you have a tongue in your head?"

"We uhm...no, we haven't finished." Connor finally stuttered as their teacher turned both books and saw the pathetic attempt.

"Well in that case you can finish it after school with me." He informed them. "Collect a slip from me at the end of class." He turned away tearing the comic up and depositing it in the recycling, both boys even more winded from how casually he had informed them of their fate. Did he have any concept of the magnitude the bombshell he had just dropped?

They had never had detention before and today, for Jude at least, was a terrible day to have his first.

* * *

Jude took the longest walk to Lena's office he had ever taken. The couple of times he had been in trouble with Lena it had been for minor things and it had rarely got the stage where he had any form of punishment. He couldn't remember a single time other than being sternly told off or having had no TV or games for a night, something which barely phased him.

He had flashed a look at the green slip a couple of times but he couldn't bear to see the word "detention". He could hear it said in Lena's tone as she lectured Jesus about it that morning.

His heart raced as an almost constant drone next to his slowing footsteps, unsure of how to even start the conversation. He wasn't as scared of her being mad, it was the disappointment he couldn't face. They relied on him to be the good child. He never let them down, especially not at school.

He looked at her name on the window and braced himself to knock but before he could work up the nerve, the door swung open and an unsuspecting Lena almost strode right into him.

"Jude?" she stepped back so as not to stand on him. "Everything OK, hon?

He felt god mouth opening but the words weren't coming out.

"Did something happen?" her eyes dropped to concern as she pushed a hair behind her ear.

"No." he blurted out, probably not helping how suspicious he looked.

She paused to let him continue but with one eye on her watch she decided it would clearly need more prompting.

"Then, can I help you with something?"

He stared a moment longer going through various methods that may soften it. Crying. Resilience. Jokes. None of them seemed to fit and eventually the silence got so deafening that he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I'm gonna be late home." he bit back, unsure if he had hoped for something else to have come out or not.

"Connor and me we have...we have to...well. See, in science we are working on these chemistry things and -"

"Have you got an assignment due?" she asked plainly, her eye deviating to her watch once again as this surprise encounter continued to delay her from her meeting.

Jude took the question in and thought it over knowing this wasn't a question but a crossroads. Before he knew it his mouth was already answering.

"Yeah..."

As his brain caught up with what he had just done his eyes widened. He was surely about to get lambasted. She'd known all along and she was testing him. She was going to be even more disappointed and any moment now her head would cock and she'd sigh and -

"OK, well will an hour be long enough? I'm sure it'll be fine as long as you're back by half five."

His face was frozen in shock as she finished her sentence.

"Honey, I have a meeting to go to, is there anything else?" She hurried him on as he shook his head.

"No, no that's all." he squeaked as she tickled his neck and moved passed with a "See you at home."

He turned to watch as she glided down the hallway, still not entirely sure of what had just happened. No, he _was_ sure of what had just happened. He had just lied to Lena.

And he'd gotten away with it.

He shuffled his backpack after a moment of further reflection before he saw Connor coming down the hall.

"How did she take it?" he asked nervously.

"She...well...I didn't have to tell her..." He stuttered, his mouth still unsure if it wanted to be open or closed.

"Had Carson already told her? Did you get in trouble?" Connor's eyes were wide, unsure of what had happened but noting Jude's shell-shocked stance.

"No she...she assumed we were working on an assignment and I sort of...well..."

"You lied about it?" Connor asked, an even bigger look of fear on his face.

"Yeah...I guess..." They began to walk towards their science classroom.

"Isn't that just going to make it worse later?" The taller boy's eyebrows dipped as Jude looked up to him. "When you get the slip signed, I mean?"

Jude paused in his tracks.

"We have to get it signed?"

**Eeeps! Poor Jude. What's he gonna do now? Is he gonna get away with it - and if so, how? Fill the little box in if you've got anything to say/are liking the story so far! I love to hear your guesses!**

* * *

_**Next Chapter Preview: Jude struggles with his guilty conscience. Stef tires to handle her feelings of sorrow and nostalgia as Tyler shares stories of times gone by. **_

_**After a moment of lingering he pulled her tightly into a hug, his familiar grasp feeling rougher but as much like home as it ever did.**_

_**Stef could feel her heart beating harder along with the goosebumps growing on her neck as she could tell his was going just as fast. Eventually she reciprocated, gripping round his waist and drifting back ever so slightly as if stepping into the past.**_

_**Lena and Mike exchanged a look while the kids looked on oblivious and waiting for their introductions to continue.**_

_**As they finally pulled apart Stef looked up into his eyes. There were so many things she had tried to plan to say but it was becoming clear that there was nothing about this that could be rehearsed.**_


	3. Nerves, Nostalgia and New Lives

**Wooo! Great to get so many reviews. Thanks guys! Glad you're all enjoying the story. And yes, poor Jude. He just doesn't know what to do with himself. For now though, I'll take you back to the other plot point! By the way, just to publicly rule out one theory - I can 100% promise you there's nothing incesty that happened! I would never do that! I can barely even handle Brallie in my writing so definitely not an avenue I'd explore. Great guess though, nice to have some wilder ones :P Thanks to _thesameguest _and _TheTBone _for their help as always and congrats to _T_ for graduating high school. Here you just get a pat on the back so enjoy your diploma and mortar board. **

* * *

Stef paced her bedroom. She had come up to get changed but had completed that task a good ten minutes before. Right now she was playing through various permutations in her head of the first conversation she would have with Tyler. They'd start with hello. No. Of course they wouldn't. They'd never said "hello" to each other in their life. It was always "Look what the cat dragged in" or "Hey loser" or maybe if they were feeling generous it would be "You've scrubbed up, you got a court date?". The last time they had seen each other it had maybe slowed to "Hey" or "How's things?" but even those were strange enough to deliver.

She could ask about his job - that would be fine. He loved talking about his music. He'd always have wild dreams of what bands he would play with or go on tour with - now he may actually have some of those stories. But then she'd have to talk about hers. That would be fine...except there were no stories worth telling. No conversation to be sustained for more than a few minutes. Not without talking about the one thing she enjoyed talking about - her family. Before long there'd be a silence and the inevitable would follow.

_"So. Tyler! How've things been? Is that a new haircut?_ Of course it's a new hair cut. I've not seen you for ten years." she practiced under her breath, scolding herself.

_"How're your parents? I mean, not like I don't know anyway seeing as they live in the same town as me."_ She cursed herself again before clearing her throat.

_"What have you been up to? You know since you -"_

"Stef?" Lena came to the door interrupting her thoughts and motion.

"Honey, Mike texted. They're on their way. You OK?"

Stef folded her arms and licked her bottom lip. She lingered for a moment, her eyes lost in the skirting board before giving her head a shake and forcing a smile.

"I'm good. I guess we better go down then." She squeezed Lena's shoulders as she walked right past, determined not to be held back. She was going to be in control tonight, whatever happened. She would be polite. She wanted to be polite, they had never actually fallen out. They had just drifted. They'd drifted and they could drift back. She just hoped it would be as simple as that.

She took a deep breath taking a quick stop in the kitchen before she heard the knock at the door. Footsteps had already shown that she at least wouldn't have to open the door.

It was Mariana who opened it, with Kasey not far behind.

"Hey Mariana." Mike smiled, a taller man with beard and mousey brown hair tucked under a Padres cap stood behind.

"Honey." He leaned forward and kissed Kasey stepping into the house as Lena arrived down, Brandon and Jesus appearing along with Callie a few steps behind and finally Jude.

"Well uhm, introductions I guess." Mike smiled patting Tyler's chest.

"Guys, this is Tyler." The man smiled, dipping his head with a nod.

"Really pleased to meet you." Lena stepped forward. "I'm Stef's wife, Lena."

"I've heard a lot about you." he looked at her for a moment with a nod before pulling her into a hug. "It really is such a pleasure to meet you." He kissed her hand.

"Wow, well. That's very kind, it's a pleasure to meet you too." She replied, slightly taken aback by his politeness and charm, a vast contrast to the picture Stef had painted.

"These are our children - I assumed you know Kasey and Brandon."

"Wow, yeah, but not since you could fit on my shoulders." He leaned in to give Kasey a hug and a kiss before shaking Brandon's hand and pulling him into a hug as well.

"Boy have you guys grown in ten years."

"Oh I _do_ remember you!" Kasey finally twigged. "You used to hide candy under your cap and drop it out when Mom wasn't looking!"

"Hey, yeah. Crap, I hope it's not still up there..." He lifted his hat but nothing dropped out. He took it off to inspect it. "Nah, sorry kids - growing up sucks, huh?" He shrugged putting his cap back on.

"Probably a good thing anyway, not sure I'd still have the skill to do it without getting caught."

"You never really did." A voice broke through from the side as the family turned to see Stef propped up against the wall. He arms were folded as she stared, her face blank but eyes full of a mix of emotions.

Tyler looked back at her, a similar look of disbelief in his face as he gulped down a decade's worth of words.

"I guess nothing ever really got past you - and it sure looks like you haven't changed." He finally spoke as she moved forward off the wall and he too walked to meet her.

"You have...what's that thing on your face?" she winced at the furry fluff on his chin.

"I guess you weren't there to take the piss until I gave up and shaved it off." he smiled wistfully as they both stood facing each other, Tyler's hands firmly bouncing together and Stef's in her pockets. "You'll notice I dropped the earring." He bit his tongue as he saw her breathing shift in pace.

After a moment of lingering he pulled her tightly into a hug, his familiar grasp feeling rougher but as much like home as it ever did.

Stef could feel her heart beating harder along with the goosebumps growing on her neck as she could tell his was going just as fast. Eventually she reciprocated, gripping round his waist and drifting back ever so slightly as if stepping into the past.

Lena and Mike exchanged a look while the kids looked on oblivious and waiting for their introductions to continue.

As they finally pulled apart Stef looked up into his eyes. There were so many things she had tried to plan to say but it was becoming clear that there was nothing about this that could be rehearsed. Old feelings were flooding back and part of her was as much in their childhood memories as it was in the anger that had come years later.

"You're looking good, Moose." He spoke knocking her arm as the name induced a mixture or nostalgia and playful disdain.

"Now that is a name I've not heard for a long time!" Mike chuckled as Stef squinted across.

"What, nobody calls you Moose anymore?" Tyler turning between them both in shock as Stef took a deep breath.

"Yeah, nobody's brave enough." Mike clapped him on his back.

"Moose?" Lena inquired, not yet sure if she wanted to know.

"Don't ask..." Stef replied linking her arms around Lena's and looking as Tyler watched her with a smile. She immediately felt self-conscious but it just made her grip her arm tighter, noting how her cousin watched her movement.

"See, this is the problem with not meeting more of your relatives and old friends, Mom. All those years we could have been calling you by a nickname."

"If it makes you feel any better, think of it as years you were able to stay alive." Stef retorted, her eyes bulging, ignoring Lena tugging sharply on her arm.

"Heh, I see you've not changed in temper either." Tyler observed, pulling the focus back.

"Anyway - I think we only got a little way round. This is Mariana and Jesus." Lena gestured as Tyler greeted them in the same way he had the older twins. "They're our younger twins and these two are Callie and Jude. They joined our family officially last year." Lena finished off as Tyler gave Callie a kiss, Jude just ducking out long enough to shake his hand before he shuffled back out of the way. He looked over to Lena and Stef and down to his feet as soon as light conversation continued around.

As the kids made small talk with Tyler Lena looked over at Stef who had remained uncharacteristically quiet. She looked back to Tyler who so far at least had been a model guest and it hadn't taken her long to see the flaw in Stef's excuse of her being worried he'd be a bad influence. Whether this man had dabbled in wilder ways or not, there was no aura around him that seemed to transmit it.

Seeing that it was clear Stef wasn't going to instigate the plans, and noting the pressing look from Mike, Lena decided to take control of the next stage.

"So, do you have time for a drink and some cake? We had the school bake sale today and there are quite a few left over."

"Yeah, Mom made them last night." Mariana chirped. "We sold a lot though, altogether we made over a hundred and fifty dollars."

"A hundred and fifty dollars? Man your school must be richer than ours, right, Stef?" Tyler nudged her as they walked through.

"Mind you though, I reckon Chris Lechowski probably made that much selling cigarettes in the boys bathrooms."

"Well you would know seeing as you were one of his best customers." Stef replied, momentarily forgetting the company they were in. "Of course if you'd had a nickel for all the detentions you got getting caught smoking them you'd probably be able to buy him out."

She raised an eyebrow, once again finding it too easy to slip back.

"Yeah well you were hardly a stranger to them yourself."

"See, I knew it!" Jesus indicated to Lena. "Mom got a bunch of detentions and she turned out OK."

"I didn't get a _bunch_, I had a few, and maybe I turned out OK because I got punished. Don't try and use it as an argument to not be in trouble." Stef warned as the topic was causing Jude to wriggle agitated in his seat.

"Do people want...water or something?" he blurted out as a couple of the faces who weren't engaged in the talk turned, one of whom being Kasey. She noticed the urgency in his voice and threw a look to Lena, another person who had observed it.

"Uhm, that would be nice, sweetie. Maybe just get the jug and some glasses. Here I'll come help you-"

"No I can do it." he leapt up before Lena could fully leave her seat.

She looked back to the girls, Callie too having noticed by now. Giving her Mom a nod she got up followed him through to the kitchen.

"You doing OK, bud?" she asked as he kept himself firmly turned away grabbing glassed from the cabinet. He closed his eyes. The only thing as bad as admitting it to Lena would be admitting it to Callie. She could also read him much better though and he would have to play things carefully around her even more.

"I'm fine, I'm just tired." he filled the jug up, splashing the side of the sink as it came too fast. Callie turned it down a little as he pulled away from the water jet.

"People haven't been picking on you have they?" she went to the default. The look in her eyes pulled at his guilt even more. She genuinely did care about him and he knew he could trust her.

"I just got into a bit of trouble in class. We weren't working very hard."

Callie shook her head, a smile growing across her face in relief.

"That's it?" she put a hand to the side of his face and gently tickled his ear.

For a moment he too felt a sense of relief. Maybe this was something Callie would help him with. Maybe she would help him break it to Lena.

"You need to not worry so much. Your teacher will have forgotten about it tomorrow. Just try and relax." she squeezed his shoulder but it didn't give him the reassurance she had intended. Instead it sealed something worse. She had thought this guilt was all about his teacher. As he watched her leave he once again was hit by the realisation he'd got away with people assuming his angelic ability. Only it didn't feel like it was getting away with it, more just another reminder of how disappointed everyone would be when he proved them wrong.

Callie hadn't even considered detention and he couldn't find it in his heart to burst her bubble. He shuffled the glasses onto the tray as he slumped through to the living room. However he was going to do this he was going to have to do it alone.

He entered the room to find Mike shouting over to Kasey.

"Hey Kase, what's that show you watch?"

"Or not watch, as the case may be.." Brandon smirked as Kasey knocked his knee.

"SVU?"

"Yeah, I thought it was. Tyler was saying he had a record on it, right? That is the one?"

"Yes sir, well not my record, just my fingers."

"Your fingers are on the show?" Jesus squinted.

"Wow, you do need to spend less time in detention and more in class. Stay focussed, dude!" he teased ripping a cake as Jesus laughed. "My riff. I was a session musician for one of the recordings."

"Wait, I thought you were a police officer too?" Brandon queried.

"Ha." he sniggered looking to Stef. "I see you've not been giving full stories."

She rolled her eyes looking round to the kids who were now waiting for an explanation.

"Hey, it's not my job to explain your screw ups." she raised her palms as Tyler removed his hat and ruffled his hair before Mike clapped him on the back.

"We all went to the academy together, well Stef and I did. One of us got Mike stuck on our shoe alone the way-"

"Uhm, you. He was definitely your fault." Stef interrupted.

"You got Mom and Dad together?"

"He's to blame." Mike confirmed.

"Yep. So you can thank me for you two!" Tyler winked.

"Yeah, that's not necessarily something to boast about." Stef replied deadpan as Kasey feigned offence.

"You were more responsible for them happening than you realise." Mike quipped as Stef chortled, being the only one in on the fact it was the direness of one of Tyler's gigs that caused them to get bored one night. She quickly diverted it to a cough based on a look from Lena and quickly tried to turn conversation back.

"Yes well. You were about to give the kids a life lesson in bad decisions. Continue..." she edged a looked back to her wife, relieved it had worked.

"I never graduated." Tyler shrugged, opening out his arms before finishing his cake.

"Why not? Did you quit?" Jesus asked eagerly as Tyler shook his head.

"I had creative differences with the management." he licked his thumb.

"In other words he got kicked out."

"What did you do?" Callie asked as Tyler shrugged looking to Stef for approval.

"You can tell them, it's not like you're a poster boy."

"I had a little problem with smoking too much weed. The police aren't big on that."

"Yeah, and weed had a little problem with making you do things that got you busted - like streaking."

"No!" Jesus gaped as Tyler nodded with a shrug.

"Woah..." Kasey added in her equally impressed opinion.

"I'm not exactly proud of it."

"What did _you_ do?" Kasey turned to Stef who folded her arms, Lena's hand massaging her knee.

"Beat the stuffing out of my right arm...I was lucky I could ever play the guitar again." Tyler squinted as Stef shook her head

"Oh don't exaggerate. Sure I may have punched you in the arm like once but I mainly told him he was an idiot and he better not cross either of our parents for a while."

"God yeah, I'm not sure if I got more hell off my parents or yours."

"Weren't you like 21 by then?" Jesus asked.

"You think your parents stop kicking your ass when you're 18? Good luck with that."

"That's a lesson worth remembering." Lena raised her eyebrows to her son.

"I'd probably have got away with it had Little Miss Golden Girl not gone and done all well and actually graduated, drawing attention to it."

"Oh, hush." Stef scolded him. "As if you were going to be able to hide that from them! Even if I hadn't told them about the ceremony they probably would have noticed when you were oh I don't know, not a Police Officer..." she teased back, once again the instinctive childish bickering consuming her body.

"That one would have been tough to hide." Jesus laughed in solidarity.

"Yeah and parents always find out. That's what we've been trying to drill into this lot." Lena wiggled her finger between Jesus and Kasey as Jude once again shuffled in his seat. He couldn't take this angst. His hand twitched up to his mouth as he began to chew on his thumbnail.

"That's why I'm staying at Mike's." He tipped his head to his friend. "My Mom's still waiting to finish spanking me for that one."

The seriousness of Tyler's face meant it took the kids an extra moment to tell it was a joke, but soon enough they began to chuckle.

"I'm surprised they ever had a chance to take a break." Mike added with a smile as Tyler bobbed his head towards to Stef.

"Only to spank _her_."

"Yeah - OK." She raised her hands up, the kids immediately shooting their attention towards their Mom at the revelation.

"Seriously?" Mariana asked, a broad grin growing across her face - similar to her siblings.

"There was a lot of co-parenting among my Dad's siblings. It didn't really matter whether it was your Mom or your Aunt, if you were in trouble you were in trouble." She explained. "Or in my case, somehow it was if _he_ was in trouble I was in trouble." She squinted at Tyler who smiled proudly, shaking his head.

"I'm not that one who released that box of frogs during the neighbourhood association committee meeting." Tyler raised his palms as Stef covered her face with hers, releasing a belly laugh. "Wow, did I forget about that. I think I literally _leaped_ over the fence to get away from Aunt Viv."

"How could you forget about that?" Tyler guffawed as Stef shook her head bashfully, on cue from Lena's raised eyebrow.

"Where did you get the frogs from?" Jesus' eyes lit up before Stef cut off Tyler's imminent response, pointing across at them.

"Do _not_ tell him that, for his own safety. Whether I did it or not, I will not show any mercy for if you even think about it!" She warned him with a smile, despite it being clear she was serious. Lena gently shook her head as Stef rubbed her arm before turning back to Tyler. There was such sweet comfort in their nostalgia they shared, but then as she looked back she noticed his watching the contact with her wife and she couldn't help but spot the wistful look on his face. Her dampening thoughts were interrupted by Mike's voice.

"Uhm guys, I hate to move things along but we're meeting some of the guys so we're gonna have to get going."

"Oh...OK, well I don't wanna keep you." Stef stood, trying to shake herself back to reality. It was true that it had been easier than she had thought it would be, but she couldn't stop herself from wandering into these moments of doubt in between the memories. Unfortunately there was still that persistent memory that would overshadow them at every turn of conversation.

Tyler looked across at her, wiping his hands and standing up to join her.

"Well, you can...I mean you can come if you want, it's no-one you don't know."

"I can take care of things here, babe." Lena offered gently, placing her hand on her shoulder. Once again Stef followed Tyler's eyes as he gulped down at Lena's touch. She felt her mind wander again and briskly shook her head.

"No, no, you guys go have fun." she replied quickly wiping her lip with the back of her hand and striding out of Lena's grasp.

The two men quickly followed her to the door as the kids finally got up, slightly confused by how abruptly the night was ending.

"Well it's been great to see you, Tyler." she pulled him down for a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Well hey, woah, is that it?" Jesus caught up.

"Yeah I thought we were gonna get more stories. That was like fifteen minutes." Kasey added.

"We were just stopping by to say hi." Tyler responded. "I don't wanna impose for long."

"I thought you said we may have him round for dinner?" Jesus looked to Lena, eager to continue learning more about this mysterious relative who seemed to have lived a fun life.

"Jesus." Stef whispered sternly at the interruption. It wasn't a bad one but in her current mindset she wasn't in the mood for external influence.

Lena looked across at Mike who shrugged.

"We are free tomorrow night, aren't we?" Tyler turned to him as Stef twitched her nose down to the ground, her pose once again wrapping up in her arms.

"I mean, I don't want to invite myself into your home." he looked to her distracted gaze as Lena softly caressed her back, more as an urging than a gesture.

Seeing that all eyes were on her, Stef looked between the begging faces and back to Lena whose eyebrows twitched up.

Finally she cleared her throat waving her hand to Tyler. "Sure. That would be nice." she forced out with a reluctant smile.

"I guess we'll see you tomorrow then." Mike clapped his hands before the two men bid their goodbyes and made their way out.

Stef could hear the conversation pick up around her but the motion of her closing the door also brought a haunting familiarity. The last time however he didn't come back the next day, and although it had taken her a while to come round to it, she wondered if that had been easier.

**So, what do people think of Tyler? Any other ideas as to what may have happened between him and Stef? Would love the reviews and comments as always!**

* * *

_**Next Chapter Preview: Jude opens up to Kasey and Jesus while Lena causes fireworks trying to get Stef to do the same.**_

_**Lena dared her, watching Stef's eyes dart into a glare but knowing the conversation was still firmly in her control. She let it sit for a moment as she swept up the mess on the floor but soon decided to commit to her game plan. She knew that there would be no turning back but she also knew that with the mood Stef was in it was the only way to proceed. **_

_**"You can't just shut yourself off, Stef." Lena tipped the swept up glass into the trash, the clatter punctuating her point. Stef watched her movements, the bottled up emotions still manifesting with resentment. **_

_**"So...what? I can't be a little frustrated that my long lost cousin waltzes back into my life after ten years as if nothing happened between us?" She replied deadpan and stubborn though unintentionally confirming Lena's suspicions about what it was this had really been about.**_


	4. Fear, Forgeries and Fireworks

**Well the ideas are flying! Thanks for the interaction guys. Love it. How about that promo, huh? Nice and Stef-centric. Just how I like my Fosters promos! **

**OK, thanks _TheTBone_ and _thesameguest _for all their help and here is the next chapter!**

"He was awesome! How come we've never met him before?" Jesus turned to Stef.

"Do you think he knows Beyoncé?" Mariana asked eagerly.

"I don't think Beyoncé spends much time on the Americana scene, Mariana." Brandon replied with a chuckle as she turned to him disappointed. The small talk and comments too much for Stef to handle she turned to give them all a smile.

"Well he lives far away. I'm going to tidy this stuff up." her voice waned as she passed them by, giving a still sheepish Jude an absent minded squeeze and a kiss on the head as she passed. She didn't feel him seize up with the contact, nor did the family around notice as they were all distracted by either discussing the things they found exciting about Tyler or wondering what had made Stef so self-conscious.

"You know I doubt you've had much time to get your homework done." Lena took the opportunity to disperse the kids to a chorus of various groans.

"You, especially, Jesus." she pointed with her eyed as his shoulders dipped and he ran off, conceding.

"Jude, how did your assignment go?" she turned to him, his throat locking up again.

He felt the note burning in his pocket but couldn't bring himself to reach for it. Every moment he put it off it seemed heavier but every moment he could try to ignore it he felt relief.

"It was fine. You don't need to check up on me." he replied sharply, once again grabbing Kasey's attention who saw him flinch his hand into his pocket as he snapped back from Lena her eyebrows raised at the out of character response. He realised fast that he had to say something more before he was challenged.

"We just found it hard but it's fine. I just want to do it on our own." he muffled out, his eyes darting around Lena's face for signs of what she may say next.

"Okaay." she folded her arms loosely. "I'm just checking in, bubby, you don't need to be short with me."

"I wasn't, I'm sorry." he gulped, Kasey's eyes now intrigued by the movement his hidden hand was making, clearly spinning something around.

"I'm just tired. I need to go finish it." he bolted up the stairs before Lena could comment. She turned to Kasey, the only one who had stayed around concerned by the odd behaviour.

"Something happen at school today?" she asked.

"Not that I know of." she shrugged, spying Callie coming out of the kitchen.

"OK, well keep an eye on him." Lena looked to her daughter briefly as she went to tackle the more imminent issue of her wife.

"Hey, is Jude OK?" she bobbed over. "He was acting kinda...I dunno, guilty?" Kasey whispered to Callie who smiled back with an eyebrow flick.

"I spoke to him earlier. He has a pretty obsessive mind. He got told off in class and I don't think he's recovered. He'll be fine, he always gets a little quiet if he thinks he's let someone down."

Kasey nodded as she followed her sister up the stairs, her eye veering over to her brothers' door. As Callie disappeared into their room she thought for a moment about whatever he was fidgetting in his pocket. She always trusted Callie's instincts with Jude but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than he would divulge.

* * *

Jude sat bundled up on his bed. He was chewing furiously on his bottom lip and examining the note in his hands. Time was ticking and he couldn't avoid this much longer. His teacher was expecting it tomorrow and if he didn't have it signed, Carson would surely just speak to Lena himself.

He barely heard Jesus return from the bathroom but as soon as he heard his voice he tried to flinch the slip away. It didn't go unnoticed.

"You OK, Jude?" He asked with concern, seeing the look of fear on his face.

"I...well..."he twitched the slip in his hand. If anyone could help him with this it would probably be Jesus. He gulped down and held the slip out, Jesus immediately knowing what it was.

He took it up and couldn't help giving away his shock as his eyebrows shot up. "You got a detention?" He replied at just the prime moment for Kasey to be sneaking by the open door.

"I knew it!" She beamed, her eyes sparkling as she bust in the room, closing the door. "I knew something was wrong!"

Jude let out a sharp spurt of breath through his nose, feeling some relief but only in so much as now he could verbalise his panic.

"Moms are going to be so mad at me!" He winced, hopping off the bed and taking the slip back from his brother. Kasey's lip puffed out in genuine adoration at how scared he seemed.

"Aww honey, it'll be fine. We get detentions all the time."

"Yeah, you just gotta roll with the punches." Jesus added.

"But that's _you!_ I don't get detentions! They rely on me to not be in trouble. You heard Lena yesterday!" Kasey pushed aside any momentary offense at the accusation to take a place next to him on the bed. It broke her heart to see him so downtrodden over such an insignificant a crime.

"What were you doing anyway? I reckon Moms will just give you a bit of a disapproving talk about it, you probably won't even get punished." She rubbed his arm in a hug.

"But I lied about it too! Right to Lena's face."

Jesus and Kasey exchanged a slightly more nervous look that Jude immediately picked up on.

"And I thought it was going to be fine but then there's the slip! I mean, you have to get it _signed!"_

"Yeah..." Kasey gave as gentle a laugh as she could at the implication offenders as acquainted with the system as herself and her brother wouldn't know the motions. "Unfortunately schools have this thing about sorta wanting parents to know these things."

"It's almost as if they expect that kids might lie about it..." Jesus added as Kasey flashed him a look as Jude fulfilled her expected reaction.

"See, they are going to be mad! And I don't even care about them being mad, they've been mad with me before but never about school and I've never lied to them. They're not going to think they can trust me anymore!" The sorrow flowed out of his mouth along with a glisten of water over his eyes as Kasey pulled his downhearted figure under her arm. "Callie's gonna be mad too because I lied to her as well and I never lie to Callie. I just hate knowing that they're going to find out." he buried his head in his hands as Kasey cuddled him in closer.

"OK, OK - don't worry, Jude. It'll be fine. There's no point getting more worked up about it than you need to. These things happen. It's never as bad as you think it's gonna be." She thought back to her first time in trouble at school. She had been much younger but she could understand why something like this would have much more of an impact on her mild-mannered youngest brother.

Jesus flashed a signal to Kasey with his eyebrows which she immediately understood and responded to with a sceptical look. He repeated his motion with more urgency and held his hand out to Jude's dejected figure mouthing "come on...". She breathed out cautiously, mulling over what it was she knew Jesus was suggesting. Something she'd done to keep both of them out of trouble in the past.

"Unless..." she began, almost instantly regretting it. Jude looked up at her hopefully, wondering if there was a lifeline.

"I mean...you did learn from this, right? You know that it was bad what you did and getting detention is a pretty serious thing. As is screwing around in class."

"Of course! I've thought about nothing else. I don't wanna be in this position again." He frowned. "I just got too carried away I guess and didn't really think."

"And you know that lying to Mom is...well..." she tried to work it in a way that would make her not sound like a hypocrite when they reached the conclusion of the discussion. "That lying to Mom isn't really ever a good option. Generally it makes things worse."

"I didn't even mean to do it! She sort of assumed something else and I didn't correct her."

"See, that's practically not even a lie! He barely even did anything wrong." Jesus rationalised, trying to bolster Jude's case. Kasey threw one more look at him, Jude's eager eyes still staring up at her as he tried to figure out what they were about to propose.

"I can handle your detention slip." She finally sighed.

"You're allowed to sign it for me?" He asked confused, showing his innocence as Kasey shook her head with a gentle laugh.

"No, not exactly." She took it off him. "But if you want me to...and _only_ if you want me to...I have been able to forge Mom's signature since about 6th grade."

Jude's eyes widened in hesitation. He wasn't sure he was ready to go that calculated in his disobedience.

"Does that actually work? Won't Moms get really mad if they find out?"

"Oh yeah, they'll kill her. But they won't find out." Jesus added with a shrug. "Like the vast majority of times they don't find out."

"But you have to actually not get into any more trouble for that to work which is why I didn't do it for Jesus any more. I'm trusting that you won't though." She urged him sternly.

"What do you mean?" Jude's eyebrows creased down.

"Well detention slips don't go to Mom, but if you get in more trouble teachers end up having a _quiet word_ with Mom and that's when past issues pop up and they seek out the files and if the form gets across her desk you're screwed."

"Because she knows it's not her signature?"

"God no, you don't sign her signature. You sign Mom's. Always Mom's."

"Won't Mama just tell her anyway?"

"Well yeah, but that way you get that tiny period of extra time to either run, hide or think of an excuse while she focusses her anger on Mom having signed something without telling her."

"Sometimes, if you're really lucky, even Mom will think she did and just wasn't paying attention but there's a lot of skill and luck involved in pulling that one off." Jesus added, Jude amazed at the network of experience and creativity he was learning about this alien world of mischief.

"Ha - or do you remember when Mom was refusing to wear glasses but she was blind as a bat in a box? That was like a signature gold mine!"

"Yeah, till they figured it out..." Jesus smiled nostalgically. Clearly whatever lesson had been learned having washed off in time.

"That's true. But that wouldn't have been nearly as bad if Mariana hadn't screwed it all up for us!"

As Jesus and Kasey reminisced Jude thought hard about what it was they were proposing. It would take the lying to a new level but he did have confidence in their skills at helping him. Kasey wouldn't be risking getting into trouble if they weren't certain. Plus, the alternative was getting harder and harder to face and if this did work he could just make a personal effort and promise that he would never find himself in this position again. It would be an incentive. Maybe knowing it got this out of control would mean he would never want to get to this point again, and really, that was the lesson Stef and Lena would want him to learn anyway. It was just a clean slate. Right?

He bit hard on his bottom lip and briskly handed the form to Kasey. "Just do it." He winced as she took a deep breath and Jesus passed her a pen.

"Oh, wait - before I do. Who is the teacher? Another important factor."

"Carson..."

"Science?" Kasey raised and eyebrow before quickly scribbling Stef's signature down. "That's all good. He's not a narc." She was about to hand it back before one final clarification.

"Unless you _do_ get in any more trouble." She held it back from his grabbing hand.

"I won't. Really! I don't want detention again, anyway." He frowned. "It was so boring."

Jesus and Kasey gave each other another subtle grin at the naivety before Kasey rubbed his hair and climbed off the bed.

"Well now you can relax. It's all done! Just try and forget about it." She assured him. "And not again." She repeated as he nodded. Jesus watching her leave with one last mutual smile of shared affection for their newest family member.

"Well, now that's done - guess it's time to sleep!" Jesus clapped his hands together before casting over to his bed. Jude watched him climb in before looking back down to the form. It'd be fine. He assured himself. This solved everything.

So why did he feel even more guilty?

* * *

Stef stood staring out of the window as Mike's car pulled away. Sure, it had gone fine but it didn't quieten the emotions pulling at her gut. She had expected herself to be angrier or to cry. To have had to duck out and break down or to have ended up battering his chest in a fit of tears after he aired some form of sarcastic disapproval. What had happened was nothing like she had anticipated. It felt normal. Laced with paranoia, but still normal. The only thing not normal was how much older he looked. How mature he looked, even in his familiar baseball cap and with his unkempt facial hair - clearly the latest in a string of cosmetic fads he seemed to experiment with every decade. That unsettled her even more. She knew how to react to a Tyler of every age up to ten years ago, but this wasn't that Tyler and yet...she still found them falling into the same routine. That wasn't how it was supposed to go. Not after what had happened. Despite it having an odd sense of familiarity, it didn't make facing it again the next day any more attractive. There was still so much locked down inside her that she knew would eventually escape the longer she was with him.

"Well, that was nice. You two really do seem close." Lena's voice cut off Stef's thoughts as she quickly busied herself collecting the various plates and glasses.

"Well we were. We spent a lot of time together." she shrugged, giving Lena a smile before sweeping into the kitchen.

She knew it was a sign to back off, but Stef's defiance had never won out against Lena's persistence. They both knew that this was a discussion that was going to be had.

"He didn't seem like that much of a bad influence. I mean, yeah, he has stories but -"

"Well I think our son seemed pretty impressed." Stef tried to tease back but it was a transparent attempt.

"It sounded no worse than the kind of stories Mike tells - or you for that matter. Maybe a little more drugs but not in an encouraging way." Lena worked her way round. "It's just a new face telling them."

Stef sighed, dropping the plates into the sink with a splash.

"Look Lena, I know what you're trying to do here and it isn't going to work."

"What am I trying to do here?" She replied, calm and ready for the battle as Stef swung around.

"Trying to - I dunno - get me to process, or psychoanalyse or whatever your spidey sense is telling you to do." She mocked as Lena bit down on her lip, Stef's tone becoming more petulant. "Did I fight with him or lash out? No. It was all fine and I'm fine."

"Honey, it's pretty clear that you're not fine..." Lena barely got the words out before she was cut off once again.

"I appreciate your concern, I really do but please, this is something I need to figure out on my own." She looked at her forcefully before she turned back to the sink, one of the glasses smashing off the side.

"Dammit!" Stef cursed, being more bothered about the weakening of her argument than the broken glass. In perfect timing, Lena progressed to prove her point.

"On your own huh? How's that going?" she bit back sternly to match Stef's tone and moving to collect a dustpan and brush.

"Don't..." Stef braced herself on the side of the worktop.

"Don't what?"

"Talk to me like I'm a teenager."

"Well you're a _whatever_ and a door slam away from being one."

Lena dared her, watching Stef's eyes dart into a glare but knowing the conversation was still firmly in her control. She let it sit for a moment as she swept up the mess on the floor but soon decided to commit to her game plan. She knew that there would be no turning back but she also knew that with the mood Stef was in it was the only way to proceed.

"You can't just shut yourself off, Stef." Lena tipped the swept up glass into the trash, the clatter punctuating her point. Stef watched her movements, the bottled up emotions still manifesting with resentment.

"So...what? I can't be a little frustrated that my long lost cousin waltzes back into my life after ten years as if nothing happened between us?" She replied deadpan and stubborn though unintentionally confirming Lena's suspicions about what it was this had really been about. She took a deep breath hoping the pause may calm her wife.

"And what did happen?" She finally spoke, smoothly, determined to only use her horns if a more sensitive approach wasn't an option.

Stef looked to Lena, her mouth twitching before darting her gaze around the room. She wanted to think she just couldn't bring herself to say what was causing this anger but the truth is she wasn't even sure of the specifics herself.

"Do you know the last time I properly saw Tyler?" She finally responded, deciding a ballpark figure would be best. She knew that Lena could read her like a book and giving her some meat to work with may at least get her off her back.

"I can take a guess." Lena sat against one of the stools. "Was it at that family party?"

"Good guess." Stef replied bluntly before folding her arms and awaiting the response.

"So you think that he had a problem with you coming out?" She interpreted as Stef's foot now danced a trace around the floor.

"I know he did. It's taken him ten years to look at me again."

Lena exhaled deeply, knowing how deep the memories Stef was thinking of would be cutting her. In time she had forgotten some of the details of Stef's coming out process, so much had happened since, but she knew that particular part of it was one of the worst elements. When she came out to her wider family, and only barely under her own control. She had never tied it with Tyler, though, which concerned her even more. It was clear he had been an influential person in her life and if she had left someone like that out of the details they had probably in time been blocked out from herself. As much as she didn't want to de-legitimise Stef's feelings, however, there was still something not quite right about this.

"Honey, I know how hard that was for you. I remember it well and I know there are parts you probably don't want to remember..." Lena ran a hand down her lover's arm, momentarily sending a shiver of comfort through her body but ultimately she rejected it, the hurt she was feeling too strong to soften from any time soon.

"I remember it whether I want to or not, Lena. You don't just forget things like that."

"Of course, you know I didn't mean that." She replied firmly, seeing that she wasn't quite ready for a cease fire. "But honestly, Tyler didn't strike me as someone who had a problem with your sexuality - and I think I can tell people who do. I've had a lot of practice - we both have." She shrugged, her eyes widening in wisdom. "Are you sure you're judgment isn't just a little cloudy and you're piling him in with an event that was unrelated?"

Stef shook her head in disbelief as she turned to look out the window.

"You've spent fifteen minutes with him, Lena. Don't try and tell me about my own family." She whispered back.

"So now he's your family, you've spent the last two days trying to distance yourself from him -"

"Oh, what do you want from me?" Stef shot back, the frustration finally pushing her over the edge. She was trying her hardest not to take her aggression out on the one person who had made it all worth it in the first place, but the banks were already broken. "You wanted him round, he came round. You wanted me to tell you what was bothering me, I have - "

"I want you to calm down - I haven't seen you get this upset in years!" She tried to reason with her but now both tones were ramping and all of Lena was channeling all of her severity.

"Well maybe that's all the more reason he should have just stayed out of it. It was fine! It was all fine until he came back."

"Stef, if you don't want him to come round then he doesn't have to come round but -"

"As if I have a choice!" Stef cut her off, her voice now scathing and sarcastic but quickly cracking into hurt as she felt the tears rising through her throat. "I had no choice, Lena! I did what I had to do. It was him who made the choices in this relationship and I am _not_ going to be made to feel guilty about them." She grabbed her car keys and stormed out of the kitchen as Lena leaned back against the table rubbing her face.

It was pretty clear that Stef's words were more about her past decisions rather than dinner.

**Well stuff is definitely getting clearer now I imagine with Stef! A lot of people saw the forgery coming - what's gonna happen with those three now? I'm actually writing the F,N&D that expands the story behind that anecdote Jesus was referring to about when Stef first needed glasses. Watch this space. **

**Back to this story though, w****ill the Moms find out? What's gonna happen when they do? **Provided Stef isn't stuck in the past of course, which brings me on to...

* * *

_**Next Chapter Preview: Stef takes a journey to her childhood where she relives a difficult experience:**_

**_"So, hey there was something I was gonna talk to you about." he shuffled round, nervously scratching his hair._**

**_"That can't be good..." she joked prompting a diverted toothy grin as he focussed on picking at the label on his beer rather than eye contact._**

**_"It's just something my Dad said and I wanted to, I dunno, talk to you. I figure we're overdue a talk about this." he got extremely twitchy as Stef's _****_paranoia began to get the better of her. "This is gonna sound crazy but I heard -"_**

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**I'd love a review if you'd be so kind...**


	5. Relatives, Reunions and Rumours

**OK folks! Thanks for the super reviews for the last chapter. Leaving the Jude storyline for a couple chapters to focus on Stef's world, but for those who haven't seen my update in _Fosters, Nerds and Dummies, _I have written the two-chapter story about the anecdote Jesus mentioned to Jude about when Stef needed glasses. It is just a fun little kids vs. parents fic and hopefully you may enjoy it! it is posted inthe last two chapters of that fic and they are called _"I See What You Did There"._**

**Oh, and obviously I've had to make some assumptions about Stef's past - I have always had it in my head canon that Stef's parents were probably together until she was an adult. Something about the way Sharon and Frank interact make me think it was more like they annoyed the heck out of each other and eventually drifted so sort of mutually saw no reason to stay together once Stef had grown up. Obviously just my interpretation, but that's what I'm going with for this. Plus it makes for some nice ignorant comments that only family could deliver! I have a background history invented for this entire family right down to how both Stef and Tyler's parents all met but I'll not subject you to that :P That will stay in the depths of my procrastinating mind. OK, on with the show.**

**Thanks to _thesameguest_ and _TheTBone_ for giving me their view on this chapter.****..I hope you're ready for an uncomfortable journey int Stef's past...**

* * *

Stef drove through the familiar neighbourhood. Every turn etched into her mind. She hadn't lived on the same street as Tyler's family, but they lived close enough and having to pass her old house to get to his meant she could recite names of at least one resident who had inhabited most of house in between.

She pulled up across the road from the craftsman she could still probably find her way around blindfolded. She knew her aunt and uncle hadn't altered it and although she knew they would be inside, this wasn't a whim to pay her regards. She had been there not too many months before. She rarely saw them, but she had a decent enough relationship with her Dad's sister that she at least called in occasionally. Although her uncle had barely even made an effort to accept her family, they had at least had enough encounters since to accept that that wasn't going to change. Her Aunt at least had grown to a similar tolerance level as her Dad - that of avoiding the topic as best as she could.

She thought of the fun she and Tyler had had in that house. The games they'd played at various stages of their life. The attic window they would smoke out of while Tyler would play the guitar, and the rush they'd have to destroy the evidence while distributing gum as they heard footsteps up the stairs. The tree Tyler broke his arm falling off when he was 12. The porch where they would make potions out of dirt and rainwater mixed with dishwashing liquid and the contents of that box of perfumes that neither Sharon or Viv realised they had refilled with tap water until it emerged they were going to be selling them at an Avon-style party that night. Luckily neither did the clients, a fact that the length of time their butts hurt for greatly depended on. There was also the window that the chair had come flying through during Tyler's one and only junior year party. It being his one and only purely based on how long he had been grounded for after it. Stef's involvement in the organisation resulted in her not faring much better. That wasn't the party she was here to focus on, however. In some masochistic twist of desperation, she had found herself drawn to want to relive one of her most humiliating experiences in as vivid detail as she could. Possibly due to the aching she had for closure or possibly to try and evaluate the validity of Lena's accusation that her judgement was clouded. Whatever the case, she was here and it was working. She was finding herself cast back.

_"You don't want to be here and I don't want to be here so remind me why it is that we're here?"_

_"Come on, Stefanie. If I can get through another party as your father's ex-wife I'm sure you can manage your role as Viv and Earl's niece."_

_"Mom, I love you, and you staying with us right now has been a rock - but I think family friend who amicably divorced a decade ago is still more favourable than heathen lesbian niece and her one way ticket to hell."_

_"Oh stop, you've not even come out to your Dad's family yet."_

_"Yeah and there's a good reason for that. Not that I care what they think anyway. Of all the people I wouldn't mind getting crossed off the Christmas card list it's probably Dad's extended family." She mumbled bitterly._

_"You know you're being pretty stubborn for someone who allegedly doesn't care what these people think." Sharon called her out, giving up on trying to catch her gaze._

_"It doesn't mean I don't have better things to do." They walked in silence for a few more moments before Sharon decided to persist._

_"Look it will mean a lot to your father." _

_"You mean it might make up for making his world crash down around him last month?"_

_"Will you stop?" Sharon lightly swatted her arm before popping it into her own and dragging her towards the door._

_"The only time I've ever had to drag you in rather than out of this house was after you two rode Earl's mower through Viv's flower bed."_

_"How many times do I have to tell you that was Tyler! I leapt on to try and stop him."_

_"Well I didn't hesitate to whoop your ass in then and I won't hesitate now, so scoot." Sharon gave her a swipe on the butt as she finally hunched towards the door, albeit still muttering back._

_"You know I'm over thirty right? You do remember that I have two -"_

_"Oh hush up and move!" Sharon continued to pat her roughly into the house._

_They were greeted by a few smiles but went relatively unnoticed as the islands of conversing family members and friends generally stayed rigid in the groups. _

_"Aunt Sharon!" Tyler emerged, smiling broadly and pulled her into a hug._

_"Sweetheart, you are looking gorgeous! Look at those dimples. Devil's bath tubs."_

_"Moose, how's it going?" he turned to Stef. _

_"You know...usual." she shrugged as Sharon looked between them, noting the absence of a physical greeting._

_"Oh will you two stop acting like it's you that's getting divorced? I know you're caught in the middle, Tyler, but you can at least give your cousin a hug." Sharon slapped his arm as Stef rolled her eyes._

_"Mom, seriously? Two minutes in the door and you're already bringing up the one topic we agreed to nix?"_

_"Well, you two clearly need time to iron out the awkward so I'll go try find your father. He'll be thrilled to know Viv invited me too. Ooh, Nico, give your aunt a glass of wine." Sharon grabbed onto a younger cousin she spied as she strode towards the drinks leaving Tyler and Stef standing nervously next to each other. In general things had got difficult during the separation. Stef and Mike's unit breaking up hadn't fared well for the friendship unit of the three of them. In order to keep both sides content, Tyler had been giving them their own space to work it out._

_"Beer?" he asked, sipping at his own and grabbing one from his pocket to give to Stef._

_"It's OK, I'll grab a glass of wine." she replied as Tyler's eyes widened._

_"Wine? Really? When did you develop taste buds?"_

_"When did you develop an earring?" she frowned at the gold hoop in his ear._

_"You don't like it? I thought it would work for my look. You know I'm getting a few different demos out there. Fame and fortune isn't far, I need to have the right image for all the kids to copy." he smiled._

_"So you want to inspire a generation of kids to stick a hole through their ear? Yeah - you'll be popular with parents." She rolled her eyes at him with a nudge._

_"You kidding? Parents love me! It's just my own that I'm unpopular with. And anyway, you punched two in yours!"_

_"Yeah, when I was 8, not in an over-30s image crisis." she teased, enjoying the distraction from the tension that had been plaguing their friendship during the divorce, compounded with her desperate desire not to be there at all._

_"So, hey there was something I was gonna talk to you about." he shuffled round, nervously scratching his hair._

_"That can't be good..." she joked prompting a diverted toothy grin as he focussed on picking at the label on his beer rather than eye contact._

_"It's just something my Dad said and I wanted to, I dunno, talk to you. I figure we're overdue a talk about this." he got extremely twitchy as Stef's paranoia began to get the better of her. "This is gonna sound crazy but I heard -"_

_"Tyler! Sweetheart." a voice cut him off, grabbing the attention of both as a small, heavily made up southern bell choked them both with her stench of perfume._

_"Aunt Linda..." Tyler winced he cricked his neck, meeting her at her level. "You remember my cousin, Stef, from my Mom's side."_

_"Of course, well look at you. You're looking bright and well. Was it two kids you had?" The impertinent woman patted Stef's stomach as she forced a smile at the tone of the apparent compliment, flicking her eyes at Tyler who hid his smirk behind a long swig of his beer. "How's your husband and those babies? They were twins, right? Bless your heart. I remember Viv's sister Izzy having a nightmare with that dress! Trying to anticipate how big you'd be come the wedding...if you know what I mean." she nudged Stef's side, the physical dig not being much more subtle than the verbal. _

_"Divorcing, actually." Stef delighted in announcing with a deliberately patronising grin._

_"The husband, not the children. Hell, maybe if we'd have known it wasn't actually compulsory to have both I'd have saved both Aunt Izzy and me some trouble, right?" she replied with a nudge back, not in the mood to entertain with pleasantries._

_"I'll catch you later, Ty." her mouth dropped down to its default frown as she made her way to the drinks table, Tyler biting his lip as his Aunt buttered some comment about how divorcees always made for bitter women._

_"When you find a prospective wife make sure you know if the mother left the father before you commit to anyone." Stef could her her whisper as she departed. "Kids of divorce are much more likely to leave their husbands."_

_"A marriage goes two ways, Aunt...and I'm not sure it's genetic..." she heard him bumble back knowing he would be thinking stronger thoughts. She didn't blame him for not even trying to win a debate with that particular relative though._

_Stef exhaled hard, wondering what it was that Tyler was going to have said. She knew what she feared it was but she couldn't bear for that to be the case. After Lena had made her position clear, she knew she had to make the gesture to come out to the people who mattered most to her. It was necessary not just out of respect for Lena but also herself. She had got most of her loved ones out of the way, Ty having been the only name that had really been omitted, but she had barely thought about that until seeing him. He had been trying so hard to stay on the edge of the separation that it had been easier for her to fall into the trap of postponing what would be another one of the hard conversations. Tyler may have been her cousin and best friend growing up, but she had found that with the exception of her Mom, the family ones had been the worst. She was in no rush if she had an excuse. The jolt she had felt when his words had indicated he may already know however had shaken her to the core. _

_No. She was probably just being paranoid._

_Her journey was interrupted by another person calling her name. Her Aunt Viv accompanied by her Dad's youngest sister, Izzy. The one who'd insisted on making the dress for her once word had spread and Stef's shotgun wedding was hijacked into more of a family affair._

_"Stefanie, you...came! How wonderful."_

_Great. Another pity chat. She almost wished these people _did_ know she was gay so that it would at least have shocked them into silence rather than more talk of the divorce. At least she had always got on with her Aunt Viv. She was by far the closest and nicest of her Dad's three sisters. Plus, she was Tyler's mom so she had been her adoptive mother for as long as she could remember._

_"It's beautiful party, A-V."_

_"Well thank you, dear. I was so sorry to hear things didn't work out with you and Mike. How have you been? How are the kids?"_

_"Growing." Stef smiled, ignoring the rest of the question to think about her two babies she was missing more than anything right now. Part of her could think of nothing worse than having them terrorising another family party. She was sure half of the looks of distrust were due to the infamous wedding debacle of '01, but she also would relish the opportunity to distract herself from the tedious pleasantries that somehow seemed so much worse in a party setting than when you visit a specific relative for a cup of coffee and a chat. _

_"And how are they coping with the divorce?" the less tactful Izzy jumped right in there as Stef longed for making it to that wine table. _

_"They're doing OK." she forced out with the best smile she could. "They're tough kids."_

_"And are they still living with you?" Viv asked, almost nervously. Stef wasn't sure what the implication meant but she tried her best not to look too offended._

_"Yes. They've stayed with me. We decided it was the best option for now but we intend to co-parent."_

_She could see her youngest aunt was giving her an absent glare as if she'd forgotten something._

_"Clearly they're not with me *now*." she stated after a moment more of the confusion, surprised it wasn't obvious, but she knew that Izzy wasn't her sharpest relative. "They'll be fine at home though, I made sure they knew where the matches were in case the board cut the electric out." By the look of growing discomfort on Izzy's face she was glad Viv thought it best to clarify._

_"It's a joke, Iz." she whispered as her other aunt gave an awkwardly over the top laugh._

_"Well that is a...strange...joke." she tittered, caught between her upbringing to be polite and a sudden urge to call social services._

_"They're with their father tonight."_

_"Well I guess that's a perk of separation!" Viv tried to lighten the mood, Stef appreciating the effort, as awkward as the delivery was. She thought it best to just respond with a smile to counteract Izzy's outraged tug on her sister's shirt for making such a joke. Having decided there wasn't much more she wanted to cover, she prepared to finish her journey to the alcohol. The next question, however, indicated the talk clearly wasn't over._

_"So, they're not...with someone new then?" Viv asked, clocking fast by Stef's horrified reaction that this time her own clarification may be best._

_"A new *friend* perhaps...to babysit." She edged nervously as Stef's heart began to beat, once against her paranoia piquing. Immediately she felt eyes burning on her even though her aunt's approach was clearly supposed to be gentle._

_"No. No, they're not." She replied, more stubborn than the kind face asking had probably deserved, but even the bite hidden in Stef's words was not enough to detract her._

_"Well that's good. It's good that you know that continuity is probably best for them. Taking time before any drastic changes. I remember saying the same to your father."_

_"Aunt Viv...I was 19 when my parents separated..." Stef stared back to her blankly._

_"Well yes, of course, but...well all I'm saying is that it is best for the children to get their head around the separation before anyone new comes into the equation."_

_Stef could now feel the blood rising in her ears but Viv kept talking._

_"Especially if the change may be...confusing for them." _

_There it was. She knew. The blank look on Izzy's face implied that she probably didn't, but Stef's speechless reaction seemed to prompt a reminder of something. She found herself drowning in lost words as her two aunts exchanged bickering glances until finally Izzy's face bulged in horror probably assuming that this meant the rumour she had heard was true. _

_Stef swirled on her feet choosing flight as she muttered out some attempt at "excuse me" but only a syllable was probably audible. She felt like she was going to be sick as she zoned in on that now glowing wine table. She was going to leave as fast as she could, but she needed something to get her home. Whatever the case she couldn't speak to any more people_

_Her senses were suddenly heightened to the voices around her. She was sure she heard phrases such as "I wish they'd consider their children before experimenting with these phases" and "The schoolteacher apparently." maybe even "I didn't know they were allowed to teach. I'm not sure I'd want one teaching my kids. Who knows what they'd learn!" but the state her mind was in she wasn't sure if she was just merging snippets and blowing them up in her mind. _

_She looked desperately to try and find her Mom, even Tyler, before remembering that this probably meant that her fears were right and she had been outed before she could talk to him herself. What's worse, that this was what he wanted to talk to her about and that was a conversation she definitely couldn't handle right now. Not like this. The weight of this room together was still smaller than the weight Tyler's reaction would be and as time went on she was less and less sure whether that would be as accepting as she hoped. Even if he didn't mind, she wasn't sure if it would change things, not to mention the added complication of Mike. She could almost feel herself retching as the room blurred and just before she reached the table she was stopped again by a voice and the face of the last person she wanted to see. Her father. The voice however was that of her Uncle Earl._

**I'm afraid it's only gonna get worse for Stef. Any thoughts on the party? This actually ended up being a much longer flashback than I intended but I forgot how great family parties are for characterisation! So - what's gonna happen with Stef's uncle and father? What's gonna happen with Tyler? Would love to know your thoughts and comments! By the way, LOVE all the little stories people are sharing about forging notes at school. How about any awful family party stories? You're all fabulous.**

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**Next Chapter Preview: Still in the past, tension at the party reaches boiling point and when Stef finally returns home to Lena the memories keep coming**

**_"Stef, wait, you don't have to - "_ **

**_"No, Tyler. There's no more I need to hear about my life. It's my life. I don't need your parents opinion and I don't need yours." _ **

**_She strode out, the tears finally flinging off her face. She could still hear the mutterings behind her._ **


	6. Explosions, Encouragement and Emigration

**OK folks! Thanks for the reviews for yesterday - glad people enjoyed! Alright so here is second part of Stef's evening from hell. **

**By the way, I'm currently planning another short in this universe. I have a Kasey plot and I have an idea or two for a second plot but I thought I'd ask if anyone has any playful ideas they want written involving the other characters as I'm not 100% convinced of my plans yet. Just thought I'd put it out there. It'd be set probably between Transitions and Nerd so think roughly just after 1B (in this universe).**

**Anyhow, thanks to _TheTBone_ and _thesameguest_ - here is the chapter!**

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_"Stefanie!" He beamed though with a hint of trepidation. She was beginning to really hate the full version of her name. Her father stayed silent, a few steps behind talking to another guest. That had been common for him recently. She exhaled deeply, not even caring anymore if she was hiding her feelings or not. Earl's face was expressing some greeting but all she could see was her father looking at them both, despite not breaking his conversation._

_"Happy Birthday." She forced out to her uncle, trying hard to at least try to take her mind off her dad, though that didn't extend to even a fake sense of jubilation._

_"Thank you darlin', why don't we go over and have a catch up?" He swept her off before she could even grab the wine she was so desperate for and was suddenly regretting not taking Tyler up on his offer for beer. She knew the ways of her Uncle Earl well enough. She tolerated him, although she had never had any real affection for him. She had never really understood how her kindly aunt had married a man so rigid and unbending, especially with all of his square-jawed condescension. He was away working for most of their childhood. Most of the parenting they had received had been at the hand of Viv and Sharon and often Frank, to his credit, but the bull fights Tyler had had with his father had been explosive and many a time she had found him tossing stones at her window past curfew in order to let off steam. _

_"So, I was sorry to hear about you and Mike." Oh what she would give to not hear than name one more time tonight._

_"Yes, I'm sure you all are." Her words were now uncontrollably salty but she was bathed in indifference to it. Having hoped for some more words than that, Earl filled the gap that followed with a beaming, white toothed smile. He pretended to have taken it as a joke, and tipped his glass to her with a laugh. She could feel his arm move onto her shoulder in that powerful grip politicians would use when trying to convince you that they're on your side._

_"I was just wondering how you were coping with it all. You know, separation, divorce, it can do strange things to someone. I remember old Frank was almost driven off the deep end, and he was pretty up for the whole the thing!" He joked as Stef temporarily wondered if anyone in this room even vaguely remembered that this divorce they liked to refer to was actually her parents._

_She couldn't help but feel a twinge of familiarity in this talk. It had reminded her of a similar encounter ten years ago with another one of her father's contemporaries, but she tried to channel every hope in her mind that this wasn't an equally as misguided attempt on her father's part. She longed that it wouldn't be that._

_"I just wanted to make sure that you weren't making any rash decisions - you know, we're a family and we care about you. We just want what's best for you." _

_That was the line that killed it. She didn't need to hear any more but it was clear Earl showed no sign of stopping._

_"You see, Frank mentioned something to me and I don't know what kind of Uncle I would be, let alone what kind of Christian - "_

_"Oh - you know what. No. No." Stef leaped up of the chair he had guided her to. That was it. She had cracked. Faces were already turning and Earl was quickly following her off his own chair in horror. Frank had immediately zoned in on the scene and was striding towards her._

_"Stefanie..." she heard as he approached, but it was the worst timing for her already erupting anger._

_"No Dad, don't Stefanie, me!"_

_The two men looked at her anxiously as more whispers and faces turned. _

_"Honey, maybe we should go outside."_

_"Why Dad? Are you ashamed of me? Worried everyone will find out my deep, dark secret? The one that you don't want people to know but have apparently already told half of our relatives about?"_

_"I confided in a couple of people who love you, that's all..."_

_"So that you can recruit them to what, try and convert me? The subtle hints...the we're you're family and we care about you bullshit. What happened? The lesbianism intervention was too much trouble to organise so you decided to roll it into a pre-arranged event?" Her voice ramped against the stunned silence that crashed onto the room at the use of the taboo._

_She looked around the stony and shocked faces, one of which cut right through her. She could see the pain in her cousin's eyes as he watched. His hand still twitching on the labels of his bottle._

_The tears welling up in her own she decided that whatever happened she wanted the last word to be hers._

_"Well. I guess I don't have to worry about how I'm going to do this anymore, then." She whispered to herself, her eyes blinking before wiping her cheek and recapturing the audacious aggression in her tone. "That's right folks. You can stop your whispering and your rumours. The can's open and the worms are out. I'm gay. If you want the poster girl for the family queer, that's me." She pinched her fingers to her temples, practically laughing at herself in some morphed out of body experience. "It's probably easiest you all find out now actually." She mocked. "Now you don't have to reconvene to arrange the family prayer session, only know that I won't be attending I'm afraid. I'll be too busy being with the woman who's made me the happiest I have ever been." Her voice cracked into seriousness as her mouth twitched down, the tears that were fighting her stubborn resilience finally capturing her words. "And if that is too much for you to take then feel free to make this my last family party because to be honest, I would take even the chance of a lifetime with Lena over another second with anyone in this room." Without another word she stormed out. Her eyes locked with Tyler for a second who tried to stepped forward but she tore her head away._

_"Stef, wait, you don't have to - "_

_"No, Tyler. There's no more I need to hear about my life. It's my life. I don't need your parents opinion and I don't need yours." _

_She strode out, the tears finally flinging off her face. She could still hear the mutterings behind her._

_"Imagine choosing Earl's birthday to make such a declaration."_

_"Just like her mother, that one. Always acting on impulse. No wonder neither of them can stick at anything."_

_At another time she would have taken some comfort in knowing that it was mainly marriage related relatives making the jibes, but right now all she could focus on was breaking free from the suffocation. She barely even remembered her journey to the kerb or collapsing down to the wall where she hunched over, the tears running now fully running down face as her heart ached for Lena to be there and remind her why it was all worth it - something hard to remember as she felt her entire past slowly crumbling away. There was the bad, sure, but it was still the setting of every childhood memory._

_After a few moments she could hear footsteps behind her in the gravel from the neighbour's yard. For a split second she hoped that it may be the familiar face of the only person in that room she actually did care about the opinion of, despite telling him otherwise. That he saw through her stubborn façade as he always had done and that he'd come out, thump her arm for being so misguided in thinking anything other than that this was all going to be OK. Reassuring her that he wasn't going to say the words she had convinced herself he would do through her growing fears._

_There was a glass of wine shoved into her face, but it wasn't Tyler's hand holding it._

_"Well at least I'm not the only black sheep anymore." Sharon's voice whistled as she plopped down beside her. "You'd may not think the...what was it? 'Former sister-in-law who amicably gave up her position a decade ago' gets the digs any more but that's your optimism showing. Optimism and snark that is." She breathed out heavily, her beaming smile dropping to a sympathetic once as she could see her words weren't having the desired effect. "Well, don't worry, I slipped an extra quart of vodka in the punch to at least the chances of someone else making a scene worse than yours is high." She tried harder finally provoking the tiniest smile, albeit teary eyed as she took the drink._

_Sharon knocked her with her shoulder and placed her head gently against her daughter's. Glass in one hand and planting the other on Stef's knee._

_"It'll get better, my darling. I promise." She assured her as she pulled a shell shocked Stef under her arm. Tears were flowing freely, more from anger and embarrassment than anything else, but her mouth was still silent save for a sniffle or two. _

_"Don't worry, I'm happy to steal the glasses too." Sharon teased through a whisper as Stef was able to burst out a more convincing half laugh through the sobs. She was relieved her Mom was there even if she had momentarily wanted it to be someone else. She was slowly realising that maybe that someone else would just have to be another casualty for her happiness._

Stef crept back into their bedroom partially hoping Lena would be asleep but the sudden movement indicated she wasn't.

Slipping in beside her she felt the tension between them. Not an angry tension but a longing one. She knew that in all of the fiery words they exchanged was a burning desire to help one another through whatever it was that was ailing them.

After a moment to collect her words Stef turned over to look Lena deeply in the eyes.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, her eyed wide and sorrowful.

Lena placed a hand on her wife's cheek before kissing her forehead in a sign of forgiveness even though she didnt really need to give it. She knew Stef well enough to know how these things worked.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked softly as they shuffled round to have their bodies curled into one another, Lena holding Stef in all of the warmth and support she needed. That blanket that reminded her what it was that she had gained and put the few regrets into perspective. Reminded her that they weren't regrets. She still sighed though. The end was enough to justify the means but it didn't erase the tears.

"I don't know if better is the right term. Just...I dunno." she still knew that her trip may have confronted her feelings but it didn't ease them.

"You know, he doesn't have to come round if you don't feel comfortable." Lena whispered gently as Stef's troubled eyes looked fixed across the room.

"Nah, the kids are looking forward to it." she replied as Lena softly shook her head with a smile at Stef's inherent ability to always think of the kids first, one they shared in their ability to see stronger in the other than themselves despite both possessing it.

"The kids will get over it." she whispered back playfully, the tone not transferring as Stef remained unmoved. A small silence followed as she mulled it over.

"Yeah..." her voice trailed. "But maybe it's time I did too." she thought for a moment more, feeling Lena's grasp tighten. She took a deep breath before working her way back round and kissing her wife's head. She wasn't going to be haunted by the past any longer. Whether it ended up with confronting him or proving to herself she could get past it - avoiding it was no longer an option. She was not going to be controlled by this any more.

_Stef answered the door to find Tyler's familiar face. She became instantly self conscious of the state her general appearance was in having been wrestling with two children and pancake mixture all morning. It had been two weeks since the fateful coming out party and she hadn't heard from anyone since, let alone Tyler._

_"Hey..." the greeting left her as a puff of air as Tyler removed his cap anxiously._

_"Hey..." they stood staring for a moment before Stef quickly thought to her manners, even if every part of her was pulling her away from having to face this conversation unprepared._

_"You wanna uhm..." She turned to hear the noise of the kids still playing along, immediately either look for or just generally hearing a distraction._

_"Do not go near that cooker, you two. I mean it! The rings are still hot whether it's on or not!" She shouted through as two agreeing voices shouted back._

_"Sorry, you're busy - I can..."_

_"No, no it's fine. Come in." she beckoned._

_"Actually...I can't, I..." he looked back to his truck which under close inspection she noticed had the windows shelved up with bags and boxes._

_"I just wanted to say goodbye. I...got a job."_

_Stef was knocked speechless as she looked again to the truck and to his twitching hands._

_"Far away?" She queried, not able to hide her instinctive first thought._

_"Tennessee. I got a contract playing for one of the up and coming guys over there. It'll be steadier than anything out here and it's a lot better for making connections."_

_Stef tried to hide the growing emotions bubbling towards her tears. She had been so fixed on the idea that they would sort this out eventually, she hadn't even considered the possibility that chance may be taken from them. At the same time however, she knew how long Tyler had been drifting along hopelessly with no sense or even tangible ambition for security._

_"That's kinda far." She half laughed, half whimpered._

_She could see that there was a deep hurt in his face, just as much as hers but after their last encounter and her current frame of mind, she couldn't tell with any confidence whether the sorrow in his eyes was due to his announcement or hers. The possibility of it being the latter made it even harder to handle._

_"I just..." his voice trailed as her eyes joined his chin in pointing to the floor. "I'm not sure there's much left for me here any more." He flashed her a brief look but quickly diverted it again. "Things have changed."_

_His inability to even look at her drove her further to the conclusions she most wanted to avoid and the convenient omission of reference to the elephant in the room left from the previous event further fueled her pessimism. Her increasing fragility on the subject left no doubt in her mind what change he was referring to and hearing it come from him, even without insult, cut through her deeper than she could bear. _

_They spent a moment pickling in silence before she felt the tears coming and decided it was best to end things before they got into full flow._

_"Well you take care of yourself." She forced a smile. "OK, you uhm..." she breathed as she tried to hunt for some form of joke or quip. "you take care and...I still would think twice about the earring." She dithered out as her hands went into her pockets, trying to laugh but the quiver of her lip winning out. She could see the tears also forming in Tyler's eyes as he twitched forward, ready to pull her into a farewell hug but stopping short as she reached for the door. Even if every instinct and part of her tactile nature was drawing her to it, she couldn't handle the contact. Not if it ultimately it meant a rejection that she knew would hit her almost as hard as her father's. _

_"Stay in touch, yes?" She replied as she tucked herself further in behind the door. Tyler's body getting small and more confused as she disappeared. As she closed the door she leaned back against it, her palm bracing her forehead. _

_"It'll get better." She whispered to herself, trying her hardest to echo her Mom's words. "It'll get better." She wiped both her eyes with the back of her palm, straightened her shirt and got ready to turn back to her new chapter.  
_

**So - what do we think? Is Stef's judgement cloudy? Should she have given Tyler more of a chance or was his opinion clear? Don't worry, things will get a little lighter in the next chapter as Stef is determined not to let herself be brought down by the past. Until then, here's a preview and I'd love to have your comments!**

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_**Next Chapter Preview: Jesus has to think fast to cover for Jude, Stef tries to put the past behind her and Kasey enjoys playing with her new ammo for teasing her Mom:**_

_**"Dunno why you're anti-facial hair, Mom. Mooses are covered in hair." **_

_**"Is that even the plural?" Callie asked. **_

_**"I dunno, Mom?" Kasey dug further as Stef pointed the knife to her with a frustrated smile. **_

_**"One more and it's getting serious. I mean it." She emphasised as Kasey poked her tongue out, the enjoyment of the game far outweighing fear of the consequences. **_


	7. Diversions, Deterrents and Dinner Guests

**Hello friends! Thanks for the comments and reviews as always. Fluffy chapter today after the heavier flashbacks but don't expect things to stay calm for long. Incidentally, it's possible Kasey's knowledge of Rabbie Burns and Scots pronunciation is maybe a little more like that of say, a 25 year old Scot who had to study him at school rather than an American teen, but if Rabbie was good enough for John Steinbeck he's good enough for Kasey! **

**Thanks to _thesameguest_ and _TheTBone. _Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!**

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"Nah man. You should have seen this dude go! He rides along this tiny wall - bounces up onto the pillar at the end, bounces up and down and swings his entire bike round balancing. It was insane!" Jesus explained as he and Jordan walked down the hall.

"Hey maybe we should bridge out to bikes. We've only got board stunts and your Moms biggest problem has always been that you're boarding, right?" Jordan suggested seriously as if proposing a business plan.

"Could do but my skills on a bike probably wouldn't compete." Jesus rubbed his chin as they both tried to plan their next adventure.

They moved over to their lockers, Jordan explaining a potential workaround as Jesus' attention drifted spotting his Mom approaching from the hallway.

"Oh shit." He whispered as Jordan turned to look. He took a double take before looking back to his friend's diverted stare.

"What, she onto you about something?" he asked, unsure why Lena deep in conversation with Carson would be an issue.

"She doesn't look mad..." Jesus whispered to himself as Jordan tried even harder to figure out what was going on. Not wanting to risk this particular conversation going on any longer, Jesus decided to take action, leaving his locker to bound towards Lena.

"Hey Mom..." He interrupted them, as Lena batted her head round confused.

"Can I talk to you about something?" He asked as Carson looked to him and back to Lena.

"I'll let you get on with it, Lena. Jesus." he nodded with a smile as Lena stuttered but realised he was gone before she could comment. She tried to adjust her hijacked brain mode as she blinked to Jesus.

"Everything OK?" She asked, the words quickly reminding Jesus that he hadn't actually thought past this point.

He swallowed down some of the saliva that his mouth's flapping position was producing but still no words were coming and his Mom's face was growing more curious.

"Do you think that I should grow a beard like Tyler?" He asked in a fit of momentary panic.

Lena's eyebrows raised into a terrified position as her eyes bulged beneath them.

"Is this some kind of a joke or dare?" Her eyebrows continued to narrate her thoughts as they now dived down.

"No. Just..." he looked around the school hoping for some level of inspiration.

"Well I thought people may take me a little more seriously and Kasey said that it would make me look older."

Lena's head cocked gently to the side still cynical of the innocence of this particular conversation.

"Well I think for now unless you want to subject yourself to a marathon of ridicule from Mom and your other siblings I'd say it's best to keep practice the shaving. Probably even more so if Kasey is encouraging you to do it."

"OK." He smiled. "Thanks Mom." He ducked away relieved that he had a natural out for the trainwreck of a distraction he'd just boarded. Lena shook her head briskly as if to try and erase the encounter from memory. Part of her was concerned but the other part of her wasn't sure she even wanted to know.

Jesus turned the corner, slowly letting out the accumulated air in his lungs.

"What was that about?" Jordan bobbed behind him.

"My sister and I forged a note for Jude because he got a detention." He whispered back. "And the detention was from Carson who was talking to Mom."

"What?" A small voice perked up as Jesus quickly noticed that they had an observer. In his desperation to vacate the hallway he had stumbled right towards Jude's locker and looked down to find both Connor and Jude staring at him in fear.

"Don't worry - I sorted it." He assured him as Jude hopped up to look around the corner, the panic setting in once again. "Carson was talking to Mom?" He looked again, his knuckles almost whitening as he clutched his backpack.

"Dude, dude -" Jesus grabbed his shoulders. "It's all good - trust me!" He shook him gently until Jude turned back to him.

"If Carson had mentioned it she'd have brought it up and now he's gone. You're good. Just relax!" He patted his arm before taking off again, Jordan once again following behind.

"I wish they'd quit telling me to relax." Jude's face screwed up again watching as Jesus left. That churning in his stomach was making another play for his nerves.

* * *

"Smells good, Moose." Kasey bound into the kitchen where Lena and Stef were preparing dinner, Callie just behind.

Stef rolled her eyes as Lena flicked up an eyebrow. On one hand that particular bug bear served as a nice distraction from the more serious grievances, but on the other, as still one of the oldest ways to get under her skin.

"You're going to regret that if you're not careful." She warned her as Kasey gave her a broad smile.

"Where did it come from anyway?" Callie asked.

"Somewhere that only the true depths of hell could rival as far as I'm concerned - and don't think I haven't frequently considered sending people who use it there. Be warned."

She added as Kasey and Callie picked at some of the veg on the table.

Jesus was next to arrive along with Brandon.

"Hey Mama, can I check something on your laptop? Mine doesn't have the right software."

"Sure, babe. On the breakfast bar." Lena signalled with her head as he opened it up.

"Well look at that." Stef looked up to inspect Jesus. "I was worried you'd come home with a face full of fur." She teased, Lena having filled her in on their bizarre conversation.

It took him a moment to get the reference but he quickly threw her a laugh, glad it was a joking point rather than an interrogation.

"I told you you'd get nothing but grief. And you can barely even grow stubble yet." Lena added as Stef smiled into her chopping.

"What are we talking about? This sounds fun." Kasey bounced slightly as Jesus looked to her in fear noting Lena's suddenly suspicious look.

"The beard. Remember." He urged her with a secret signal, even though it was met with confusion. "You said I should grow a beard because it would make me look older?"

Kasey began to laugh before noting both Moms were looking her way and quickly turned it into as best a compliance as she could.

"I...did. Of course I did. It was such a weird conversation that I completely forgot." She looked at him intrigued as he gritted his teeth into a smile, Callie going with the flow with an equally bewildered face.

It seemed to work as their Moms continued with their preparation.

"Dunno why you're anti-facial hair, Mom. Mooses are covered in hair."

"Is that even the plural?" Callie asked.

"I dunno, Mom?" Kasey dug further as Stef pointed the knife to her with a frustrated smile.

"One more and it's getting serious. I mean it." She emphasised as Kasey poked her tongue out, the enjoyment of the game far outweighing fear of the consequences.

"I think it's just moose." Lena added, her academic mind unable to avoid tackling the question and obliviously looking back, only noting her poor judgement when the mixture of faces looked to her.

"Sorry babe, I can't resist a language challenge." She shrugged innocently as Stef narrowed her eyes.

"You know you should think of some stories about Tyler." Callie suggested. "Get him back."

"You, I like." Stef pointed to her. "I'm glad we kept you." She muttered to herself as she dove back into her chopping, trying hard to fulfil her promise she made to herself after the tears had turned to exhaustion the night before. She was not going to be intimidated by the imminent visit.

As small talk and day to day conversation continued the next and final arrivals were Jude and Mariana. Jude hidden just behind her and closing the door over gently.

"Aha, all the babies are home. Always a good sign." Stef commented.

"How was school today, you two?" Lena smiled, Jude still hanging back as Mariana walked towards the others.

"It was good. I got an A- on my English paper and it looks as if the bake sale money is going to get us even more props than we thought for drama club!" She beamed.

"Hey, go you! I'm so proud of you." Stef kissed her head.

"Good job, honey. And honey!" Lena complimented them both as the smiles passed. Each bit of praise contrasting more furiously against Jude's growing guilt.

"How was your day, Jude?" Kasey asked, giving him a kind smile, hoping it would calm him even though he was trying hard to hide it having the adverse effect.

"It was...fine." He swallowed. "I think I'm going to do my homework." He bolted out. He hated that even though it was all over he still couldn't shake it. This was worse than yesterday. It confirmed even more that he wasn't equipped for a life of crime.

"Is it just me or has he been acting really weird?" Stef now joined the club, having been too distracted to really observe it the day before.

"We think he's just a little stressed at school." Kasey half-lied.

"Yeah, I talked to him about it yesterday but I think he'll be fine. He just needs a little bit of a distraction. The dinner will be good for him." Callie pulled apart a piece of bread.

"You two aren't going to have any room for dinner." Lena commented.

"I guess I should do some homework before Tyler arrives."

"Good idea. Keep you out of trouble."

"We're reading _Of Mice and Men._" She added, ignoring Stef's jibe.

"Yep." She lingered as her Mom became suspicious of her general pose and the glint in her eye.

"I see. You wanna go read it then?" She tried to hurry her away, her senses tingling.

"I'm going! I'm just wanting to share a little about my studies, Mom." She replied. "It's a really interesting book. You know the title comes from a Scottish poem?"

"_To A Mouse_ by _Robert Burns_." Lena replied wisely as Kasey peeled herself off the chair, Stef's chopping slowing to a halt. Her prediction was all but confirmed as Kasey stopped just short of the door.

"Another fun fact - I heard that if you say the poem title in Scottish it sounds totally different."

"Really? How different can it be?" Callie asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well see they say _"Tae"_ instead of _"To"_ and instead of _"Mouse"_ They say _"Moo-"_

"I swear to God, you finish that sentence or even say that _word _again I'm collecting every spoiler I can find for the rest of the season of SVU and making you write them out a hundred times each instead of watching any of the episodes." Stef pointed the knife to her as Callie chuckled to herself, Kasey pausing mid-word, weighing it up.

"Come on, you wouldn't know how to find spoilers if you tried..." She ventured, her eyes still sparkling.

Stef licked her teeth in the stand-off not breaking gaze before she turned to her son.

"Brandon?"

"Apparently Lewis is going to -"

Kasey flew forward covering his mouth and slamming down the screen before she could read it.

"That is inhuman!" She hissed, pointing her small and darting eyes fiercely at her Mom whose eyebrows raised in victory, eventually winning out with her indifferent-to-her-suffering glare.

"And so gonna work." Kasey conceded bitterly.

"Dare I ask how much time you wasted in school preparing that joke?" Lena raised her eyebrows.

"Not as long as the one I'll now not even get to try out..." she folded her arms.

"As it should be. Upstairs." Stef waved her knife wielding hand to the door as Kasey stomped off to her room.

"Well played, babe." Lena commended as Stef looked back to her smugly. They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing as Stef checked the clock. "Great. He's early." She sighed, suddenly the reality of the evening ending her temporary departure from having to face it.

"How about you finish off and I'll entertain for a bit." Lena offered before Stef stood up, pushing back her hair.

"No, no. If we're doing this I'm doing this." She nodded firmly to herself, more determined than ever. She made her way out into the hall, slapping her hands clean. She held the handle for a moment and closed her eyes.

"Come on, Stef. It's just Tyler and Mike." She whispered under her breath before clicking the door open.

"Or just Tyler..." She added to her declaration as she saw the lone figure. She couldn't help but see the similarities to the last meeting like this she had been haunted by the night before.

"Mike sorta had an unplanned shift...he did text you..." He smiled, bringing her back and offering a bottle of wine.

"My phone's in my jacket." She replied instinctively, gripping the door handle and scratching her head.

"Oh...then I'm sorry. You didn't know I was gonna be early." He pulled the wine back awkwardly, finding his own loss of nerves based on the greeting he'd received. "Look I don't wanna put you out. I know that this changes the plans a bit so I can head back and we can re-schedule." He offered as she considered it momentarily before biting on her bottom lip. She had shut the door on him once before and all it had done was prolong things. She wasn't going to do it twice.

"It's fine, it's fine. You just, well...you may have to help with the cooking." She opened the door with half a laugh."Come through." She gulped down as he forced the bottle into her hand.

"Uhm here...wine. I mean, of course I first bought beer but then I remembered...well. You probably don't..."

"It's great. Thanks." She cut him off, the second glimpse of how tough this was going to be as she ticked off the second of the reminders of conversations passed. She was almost regretting the trip down memory lane if each comment would bring back something so vivid. No. She wouldn't let it phase her. This was her new approach and she wouldn't let it bring her down.

"Kasey is loving abusing my nickname." She tried to make smalltalk. She was surprised at herself for bringing it up, but she began to wonder if maybe as the only element she absolutely didn't miss about him, it somehow made it easier to focus on.

"Sorry about that." He winced. "Habit, you know." She showed him through to the kitchen before looking down to the bottle in her hand. At least he'd come with something to help her get through.

**Soooo...thoughts? Any guesses for what may unfold at the dinner? OK a little bit of a teaser below but still scope for guesses...thanks for all the reviews - I'd love some for this chapter too if you will :)**

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_**Next Chapter Preview: The family enjoys bonding further over dinner, but a sloppy comment from Tyler tests Stef's resilience.**_

_**"Are you serious?" She wittered out, not even sure if she intended to say it out loud but the heat was rising through her ears just like it had done at the party. Tyler placed his glass down unsure of what he had said to warrant the fiery stare now facing him. **_

_**Everyone in the room sensed that somehow at some point a switch had been flicked, but only Lena could guess the point at which it had happened. She knew in itself that it was the kind of comment that Stef would have shrugged off 9 times out of 10 - maybe one she'd have even made herself - but that didn't account for the emotional backdrop in front of which she would be viewing it. **_


	8. Bands, Back-stories and Buttons

**Hiya pals! Thanks for the reviews. I do so love that people are still following and enjoying. The big stuff's about to go down next chapter so I hope you enjoy this one.**

**Has everyone seen the two sneak peeks? Ugh! I've been longing for them and now they're here it's just making it worse! I just want more and more! ****Anyhow, only a week to go! **

**In other news, for any of the tweeters out there, I have finally caved and got a fanfic/fangirl account so if anyone fancies hitting me up there, I can be found at _obsessedatopia_ (imaginative). I dunno how much I'll be using it and it'll be purely for Fosters related stuff (mainly when the show starts) but if anyone fancies saying hello, that is where I shall be! Also, if you don't have Twitter, follow my example and sign up to follow _TheFostersABCF_ to get them up to 300k (another reason I set up a second account).**

**OK, on with it. ****Thanks to _thesameguest_ and _TheTBone_ for their help and I would love your feedback, as always!**

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"So why music? Isn't that quite a random change of career?" Callie asked, the family now thoroughly engrossed in their dinner.

"Well the police obviously wasn't for me but music always had been. I'd been in and out of lotsa bands as a guitarist. It was always something I kept in my life and I guess when I was just floating in and out of jobs it made sense."

"Isn't that kinda scary though, I mean - it's a sorta unstable job, isn't it?" Mariana responded, filling her fork with various bites.

"Yeah, I guess." Tyler wiped his mouth. "But you know lots of jobs are unstable and every one I had I kinda felt the idea bugging me. Eventually it's hard to ignore it."

"Music is a bit of a calling." Brandon added.

"You play?" Tyler looked to him as he nodded back.

"Piano."

"Brandon's one of the best of his age in the city." Lena smiled, rubbing his arm.

"For real? Well that must have skipped a generation." Tyler lightly teased Stef who shook her head.

"Just because you were a band dork doesn't mean I couldn't have played if I'd wanted to. I could play a few chords."

"That's true. You could murder a mean G, D, C progression." He swilled his glass before taking a swig. Stef was even able to flash a smile back. This, much to her relief, she could cope with. The generally relaxed tone the evening had surprisingly morphed into as well as the neutrality of topics and other family members had facilitated Stef to feel a bit less fragile than the night before, making her plan to move past things easier to follow through. She was now content to convince herself that the first meeting had delivered hardest wave and that notion had also helped. Of course, the wine was helping too.

"What, no comment?" She looked to Kasey, on a roll with her good humour, and resultantly keen to gloat about her victory that had so far kept her daughter quiet throughout the meal.

"I'm not risking anything." She replied, raising a palm as Stef gave a devilish smile.

"I finally trained her." She whispered to Lena who sipped her wine through a grin of her own.

"So are you ever going to tell us where the nickname actually came from?" Callie asked, thinking back to the cause of Kasey's silence and the question Stef had avoided the day before. The glare she received indicated she intended to avoid it again.

"What! I'm not trying to go all Kasey on you!" She defended herself as Stef squinted. "I'm just curious as to why it's such a big deal."

"Moose?" Tyler clarified to a once again mixed reaction. "Two reasons."

"They wanted to torture me and they thought life would be more exciting if they increased their chances of being kicked in the groin at any moment in time." Stef cut him off.

"Close." He raised his eyebrows. "But I think they want the more _educational_ explanation." he continued as Stef rolled her eyes. "It all comes from Elkin. One day when your Mom chewed out some guy for some stupid comment about women not being as strong as men we started ragging on her. You know, that no-one was doubting her freak strength and what a beast of a woman she was, despite her being the tiniest student at the academy."

"The tiniest - come on!" She protested as he progressed, unphased.

"And one of the guys pointed out that Elkin had the word _elk_..."

Stef tossed her head back as Lena squeezed her hand affectionately, partly due to relief that being playfully annoyed was a vast improvement on teary, bitter and detached.

"And then someone else pointed out that an elk was pretty much a small moose so it was perfect."

"Dude, that is so harsh." Jesus laughed into his glass. "And so awesome." He added before taking a mouthful, gulping it down at the disapproving look Stef sent his way.

"Aren't elks and moose two different animals?" Lena raised an eyebrow.

"And _this_ is what I always tell them, but apparently nobody cares that not only is it a stupid nickname but that it doesn't even make sense!" Stef's tone became comically flustered, clearly resurrecting a debate she was never allowed to win despite being right.

"And the best thing about the name is that it also makes her super defensive about _that_ element of it." Tyler's teeth re-appeared along with Stef's piercing eyes, albeit this time with a defeated smile. Once again happy to indulge the sweet familiarity of years gone by.

"Hey Jude, you did a project on the deer family, right?" Lena asked him, still hoping to combat his erratic behaviour and uncharacteristic quietness.

"No. That was Connor." He kept his eyes fixed on his dinner, now finding he was unable to even look her in the eye.

"You feeling OK, sweets, you've barely touched your food?" Stef queried, the question having drawn attention to the state of the plate in front of him.

"I'm fine." he shot back and quickly tried to shovel a few mouthfuls in. Jesus and Kasey exchanged a nervous glance. Clearly the idea that this would go away was looking less practical, and Jude breaking would do no-one any favours.

"You sure there's nothing wrong, sweetheart?" Lena asked as they could see his fork beginning to shake.

"You know - we're all nearly done. How about Jesus and I get a start washing thing up?" Kasey commented, hoping it would make for a distraction..

"Okay - are _you_ feeling OK?" Stef turned to her in shock.

"What? I'm just trying to make up for upsetting you earlier." She shrugged, standing up, as Stef looked back unconvinced.

"Yeah and I did get that detention thing. We're just trying to help out." Jesus added, following Kasey's lead. At best it would cause their Moms to forget about Jude and at worst it would give them a headstart if they were busted.

"In fact, Jude, you can help if you want too?" Kasey suggested, in hopes it would also give him an out while also removing the immediate danger." He was about to agree before Lena put out her hand.

"I think Jude can finish his dinner. You two can cope." She added as he lowered back down and tried to focus. Lena exchanged a look with Stef. That was something they would be bookmarking for later.

"Did you have a nickname?" Brandon asked once Jesus and Kasey disappeared into the kitchen, turning focus back to Tyler.

"Nope. Just my surname and lots of names people probably used to describe me behind my back." he continued.

"Right! Like _you_ were unpopular." Stef challenged the modesty.

"OK, so I was popular at school maybe, but I was hardly the blue-eyed boy of the family. I'm pretty sure _waster_ and _moron_ were thrown around more than once. Probably by you." He added.

"Hey, I called you those things out of love and to your face, that doesn't count." She defended herself as the kids continued their queries.

"I guess getting kicked out of the academy didn't help." Mariana deduced. "I know you were joking about it, but did your family support your choice?"

Tyler sat back taking a drink. "I wouldn't quite call it support. Our family weren't exactly the most supportive. But hey, you know, I guess we all had stuff that gave us our run of the black sheep every now and again. I'm sure your Mom can vouch for being an expert in that." Without knowing where it had come from the off-the-cuff remark hit Stef like a punch in the gut. Immediately her face dropped and the flippancy of it fizzed down through her every nerve.

Did he really just drop that in there as if it had never come between them?

She wasn't even sure what it had been that had hit her the hardest. The detached reference as if he wasn't one of the family members who had alienated her. The casual tone for a topic that had all but ended their relationship until the day before. Or possibly worse...the implication that one of the worst experiences of her life, the angst that had torn her apart both then and now, had been reduced to a minor roll off the tongue.

"Are you serious?" She wittered out, not even sure if she intended to say it out loud but the heat was rising through her ears just like it had done at the party. Tyler placed his glass down unsure of what he had said to warrant the fiery stare now facing him.

Everyone in the room sensed that somehow at some point a switch had been flicked, but only Lena could guess the point at which it had happened. She knew in itself that it was the kind of comment that Stef would have shrugged off 9 times out of 10 - maybe one she'd have even made herself - but that didn't account for the emotional backdrop in front of which she would be viewing it.

"What? Did I say something?" He asked innocently as he saw her eyebrows rising but no answers. "Stef, I didn't think it was a secret that our family can be jerks. I can recall many a conversation...not to mention...well...you know." Suddenly he started to feel the discomfort creeping in. He hadn't realised how much he had slipped into the ease of their rapport, happy to forget the circumstances under which it had been taken away from them so many years before. By habit or by preference he had almost entirely erased even the tension from the start of this visit from his mind, assuming that the success of the dinner was enough to alleviate his own fears over what had changed between them and dismiss it to initial nerves. He was quickly picking up the signs that maybe it wasn't working out as conveniently as he'd hoped.

"I'm sorry, Stef. I didn't think I...I mean..." He stuttered with genuinely no idea how to apologise or even what exactly he was apologising for.

"Maybe we should move on..." Lena tried to direct conversation but Stef barely even heard her.

"You really do just think I'm going to forget it don't you?" Stef's pushed down resentment was now rising just as fast as the heat through her body. The presence of her family had blurred out of her eyeline as she was now solely focussed on her cousin whose growing trepidation was also apparent.

"Stef - I didn't expect you to forget anything. I mean, I didn't know there was something specific to forget...I just thought that maybe things were put behind us. That this was a sign things had moved on..." His eyebrows creased as the kids exchanged worried glances. Although they had picked up on vague tensions and a few theories had been passed, the pleasantness of the evening had dismissed them from their minds. This sudden turn had left them all panicked and a few worried looks to Lena set her about trying again to take control.

"You know, maybe we should let you two talk and we'll help the others clear up."

Stef could feel the tears beginning to brim at the back of her eyes, all of her strength she had built and all of her success in moving past this was suddenly crumbling. The tidal wave was returning and about to crash her down again, reducing her voice to a husk.

"No. No, no. No, I'm not doing this..." She completely ignored that the words were spreading more confusion as she got out of her chair. The act had now moved Tyler on from guilt to annoyance as he too was now experiencing full on the impact of the words they had never said.

"God, you really haven't changed at all." He muttered in frustration as he watched her with a hint of bitterness before she turned back to him.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes met his with fury as he leaned back in his chair. He took a moment, feeling her penetrating stare before slapping his hands onto his knees.

"You're right though." He continued choosing to boldly ignore the drama. "You are not doing this because you are not going to walk out on me like this again!" A few lost words tried to escape her mouth but as he stood up only chokes came out.

"_Me_ walk -...? You think-...?" In a fit of flustered denial, she shook her head and took off in a stride. She could feel him following her and her mind flashed back again to the night before and the promise she had made. She said either conflict or acceptance would get her through this and clearly they were ready to dance through the former.

**Well, the fluff was never going to last long no matter how hard Stef wanted it to. Something was always going to tip her over the edge. And what about poor Jude? How do people think that one is gonna end? Last chance for Stef/Tyler theories! Would love to know your thoughts and predictions! **

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_**Next Chapter Preview: Stef and Tyler go head to head as all of the unspoken secrets and feelings are revealed.**_

_**"Oh come on Stef, sure things are different. We're ten years older for fuck sake but we're the same people!" **_

_**"Well you'd love that wouldn't you?" **_

_**"Love what?" Their voices were now matching in spite as they fired to and fro. **_

_**"Just admit it. You wish nothing had changed. That I had never come out, that Mike and I were still married." Her lip quivered as his defenses sprung up in his own reddening face. **_


	9. Truths, Time and Tears

**OK folks, this is a long chapter but I didn't want to split it as I thought it might break the flow and intensity. Showdown time!**

**For anyone who missed it before I updated the info, you can now find me on Twitter at obsessedatopia. I finally buckled and made a fangirl account so I could share fanfic more publicly and fangirl to my heart's content in the new series. If you use Twitter and you want to connect, hit me a follow and I'll hit one back :) And even if you don't want to follow me, I'd still head over and follow TheFostersABCF**

**OK, thanks to _thesameguest_ and _TheTBone_ and I would really, really like to know thoughts on this chapter. I know there's a lot in here but I figured the ****reasons **and emotions around this would be multi-layered.

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"You have no idea do you...!" Stef blubbered out without breaking stride as he bobbed behind. "You have no _idea_ what happened to me that night!"

"Well maybe that's because you never wanted me to know, you made that pretty clear!" They stormed through the kitchen passing a blindsided Kasey and Jesus and straight out of the back door, Tyler slamming it behind him as Stef gave a humourless laugh, tears flinging off her face as it finally did all hit the ground. Seeing that the current route he was on was having no effect, he decided to change approach as he tried to run round in front of her.

"Look I don't understand, everything was fine just five minutes ago? Why have you suddenly flipped out?"

"What part of this is fine?" She spat, placing a foot on the decking she lunged forward to square up to him. "What part is sudden? We've been playing this charade for the last two days that nothing has changed between us when everything has!

"Oh come on Stef, sure things are different. We're ten years older for fuck sake but we're the same people!"

"Well you'd love that wouldn't you?"

"Love what?" Their voices were now matching in spite as they fired to and fro.

"Just admit it. You wish nothing had changed. That I had never come out, that Mike and I were still married." Her lip quivered as his defences sprung up in his own reddening face.

"I have_ neve_r had a problem with you being gay!" He protested firmly, his right hand chopping out towards her.

"Really? Because when I came out you went away and never spoke to me again! You stood on my doorstep and told me that things had changed and you were leaving!" She began to pace again, the weight of her footsteps mirroring the resentments she had been carrying since she heard he was in town.

"Oh don't flatter yourself!" he snapped back in the heat of it before dipping his head down. He knew that although he may be defending himself she wasn't completely wrong.

"It's not like I moved away because of you! Life was just moving on around here and I wasn't sure there was a role for me in it any more. Don't pretend like it wasn't a two way thing. You didn't exactly try hard to stay in contact!"

"Right, Tyler. I come out, my family freaks out and stops talking to me and it's _me_ that needs to reach out."

"I didn't freak out - I have _no_ problem with you being gay. I never have!"

"Of course, sorry. I forget my terminology sometimes. It's not _you_ that has a problem, it's _God_ that does and it's your Christian duty to try and fix it. " She had flown so far past rage that all of the extremes she had considered were surfacing. "Wasn't that what your dad said once? Or was it mine? Sometimes I'm amazed we're not related by our fathers!"

"Oh grow up, Stefanie!" He spat back, trying to keep his voice firm rather than mimic her anger, but he could feel her pushing his buttons. "If you have issues with your Dad that's one thing, but don't pretend I'm some right wing religious bigot. I've barely set foot in a church since before we graduated high school!"

Stef moved away, fighting back a tear as she turned to the wall. The silence gave them both some time to cool their tones.

"So you have no problem at all. It's just coincidence you can't help but stare at us every time Lena touches me?" She picked it up again after reaching a minimum level of composure but it was supplemented with a poisonous cynicism. "There was no ulterior motive in the talk you wanted to have with me. You had completely avoided being roped into the family intervention."

Tyler looked down hard to think back, eventually locating the memory, one he hadn't revisited in quite as much detail as Stef, and certainly not from the same angle.

"Wait, _that?_ What we never got around to talking about at the party? _That's_ what you're all worked up about?" His voice was now matching in anger "I wanted to talk to you about moving _away!_ My Dad had put all these crazy fears in my head and I wanted to talk about it with someone I trusted. Believe it or not Stef, you weren't the only person facing big decisions back then and I actually valued your opinion. Something you made_ very_ clear you didn't do with mine." Stef threw her head back in disbelief as she picked up the baton.

"You think I wanted one more person trying to explain my _phase_ to me because they _loved _me? No Tyler, amazingly I had heard that enough that night."

"God! You've really got this conspiracy theory stuck in there don't you! I didn't even know that you'd come out before that night!" He mocked before his voice swung back round to scathing.

"Right, your parents couldn't go two minutes without rubbing it in my face, but they had conveniently forgotten to even mention it to you." She folded her arms with petulance as it was Tyler's turn to pinch at his temples.

"You wanna know what my parents talked to me about back then? There were three things our conversations consisted of - _when_ I was going to get a job, _when_ I was going to get a wife and _when_ I was going to get out of their house!" He spat forcefully as they rotated their positions in a boxing ring maneuvre. "Believe it or not, Stef, your sex life was not top of their list of things to yell at me about. You weren't the centre of our entire existence!"

"Oh, don't pretend like I wasn't the headline of the family gossip section! I'm not stupid, Tyler! Trying to guilt me about not holding your hand through my fiftieth _"Tyler hasn't got his life together"_ pity party isn't going to convince me that you were somehow blissfully ignorant of what was happening in your own family!"

_"Fine!"_ He finally snapped, tossing his head back. "Fine! You win. You want to keep punishing yourself for our family being assholes then I'll indulge you. Sure. My parents tried to talk to me about it. They tried to find out what the hell was happening and wondered how something like this could happen - only they didn't get that far because I said that I didn't want to know. I told them with absolute _certainty_ that if you had something to tell me then you would and until then I didn't want to hear it." He pointed his finger firmly into the air between them, his face crinkling incredulously. "You think I was going to be surprised that there were murmurs about you being gay? I was more surprised when I found out you were marrying Mike!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We grew up together Stef! You were my best friend! You think I never picked up on the fact that you were a _lesbian?"_ Tyler's eyes bulged, unable to believe he was still having to justify himself. "I had been waiting for you to come out since we were _fourteen!_ Every boyfriend you got I just convinced myself that I'd been wrong. Trust me, you coming out was _no_ shock." He turned back round sliding his cap off his head to nurse it around his palm the heat of the interrogation testing every thread of his frustration.

"Well then why didn't you ever tell me that? And why did you react so badly when you found out for sure?" Stef's voice had now travelled down to hysteric confusion as her entire perception began to unravel, protecting itself only with the dying root of bitterness. "You barely mentioned it again and next thing I know you're moving across the country..."

"Because I was_ pissed!_" He shot back, conveniently ignoring the first question while also shedding the dregs of the anger he had built up in his system. Taking a deep breath he braced the back of his neck with his hand. As his voice dropped, he shook his head knowing that in all of the defence he'd made for himself there was still more to it that it was no longer fair to hide. "And I was ashamed."

Stef bit down on her lip, disappointment creeping in.

"Wow, well that makes it so much better." She whispered out, her gut wrenching as she heard what it was she had been most scared of hearing if this battle ever came to toe.

Tyler shook his head down rubbing his cap along his face, realising fast that his comment had been misinterpreted.

"Not ashamed of you, idiot." he scolded childishly as he took a deep breath. She looked to him, her teeth clenching as to where this may go next.

"I was pissed because you didn't tell me."

"I did tell-"

"Jeez Moose, for once let me finish a sentence."

"Well if you didn't dither so damn much." Stef replied defiantly under her breath, apparently crawling into their teenage demeanour was unavoidable in the weariness of their battle. She sat herself down folding her arms.

He took a deep breath, however softened he was by the nostalgia the frustrations were bringing, it still didn't change the fact they were frustrations.

"You told me in that stupid rant along with every bigot and nobody in my family. That is _not_ the same thing as telling me." He continued calmly, hoping it may pass on. "I didn't want my parents to and I didn't want to ask you because I was sure it was only a matter of time before you came to me with it. I just never understood why you never did and that...well it messed everything up."

Stef cocked her head, not sure if the revelation was better or worse than the original cause of her anger.

"Why I didn't tell you? We'd barely spoken in weeks! We were keeping you out of our business during the divorce, _that_ was what you wanted!"

"You think that would have made a blind bit of difference?" He shrugged his arms out in immediate defiance. "I may have been sick of playing referee between you and Mike whining about each other but that wasn't a reason you couldn't confide in me over something as important to you as this! We'd confided in each other our entire lives."

She was trying to prevent herself from morphing back into the shouting, but there was still a whimper of fury in her bite.

"You think I _chose_ to come out to our family at that stupid party? With _concerned relatives _giving me parenting advice just in case I had decided to abandon my children for my _alternative lifestyle?_ The whispers going round and the disapproving looks as the few who'd heard on the grapevine circulated it? I _cracked_, Ty!" She was now back up on her feet but still kept her arms firmly wound together. "But you know what? Fine. I apologise. I'm sorry if I felt I couldn't take a time out before my public meltdown to take you aside and bare my soul to you!"

"See! _Felt_ you could. You didn't trust me!" He sprang up, joining her for the next rally.

"Well, sure! _No._ No I didn't! And don't you _dare_ judge me for that!" She thundered causing him to step back, their voices now back to raging. "You have no idea what happens to trust when you have to share the deepest parts of your being with every person who ever thought they knew you! Divulging your deepest feelings and knowing that half of them will never look at you the same way again! I'd already had to deal with seeing my dad's eyes lose every shred of pride and I couldn't face seeing that with you too. Not like that! Not you!" She was now looking at him face on as the words flowed, the tears of a decade before making only being stopped by the dam of anger behind her eyes.

"Knowing I had more to lose in losing Lena than any one else was the only thing that kept me going back, Tyler. My entire _life_ was changing and I was facing more of a shitstorm than you can ever imagine so don't turn around now and try and blame me for coming out in a way that offended you! You knew what was happening and you could have jumped in at any time to prove I could trust you, it wasn't for me to seek that out!"

Her voice buckled as Tyler took the words in, biting back, the second part of his confession weighing on his mind.

"You're right." He finally responded as he saw Stef's vein pulsing along with her deflating shoulders. "I know. And that's why I was ashamed." He replied bitterly, his voice becoming raspy despite there still being force behind the words. Stef's heart was still beating furiously but she folded her arms back down, waiting for him to continue.

"When you stormed out that room..." he shook his head. "Half of me wanted to run after you to tell you everything would be fine and half of me wanted to punch everyone in the face that made a comment."

He looked her straight in the eye, the first time replacing his frustration with regret.

"And I couldn't do either."

Stef's breathing slowed but still competed with her heart for which she could hear loudest in her ear.

"I didn't have the guts to do either and I realised I was just as out of my depth as you were with it. Just without the balls to stand up for you like you were doing for yourself. I've felt shit about a lot of the mistakes I've made in my life, Stef, and you were never not there for me either to kick my ass or be a shoulder to cry on. I guess it figures that the one I feel most shit about is the one where I proved I was too much of a coward to repay the favour. I was pissed at you for not telling me and I was even more pissed at myself for deep down having proved why you didn't."

She took the words in before shaking her head again.

"Don't turn this into some sob story for how hard it was for you to look at yourself in the mirror." She replied frostily, not sure she had the energy for much more. "This wasn't some song idea where you can lament missing your moment to be a hero, this was my _life_, my reality."

"I'm not trying to lament anything. The truth is it was complicated, I buckled and I found it easier to run away from it all than to figure out what it meant. I had been keeping my distance to avoid getting caught up in the separation and it was pretty clear your life was moving on just fine. You didn't need me anymore - I didn't even know whether you ever really did."

"You think I didn't _need_ you?" She replied in horror, thinking back to her thoughts crouched up against that wall. "You think I didn't need every ally I could find back then?"

"I think it was easier for me to pretend you didn't want them." His words pierced through inducing another silence. "And whether I was right or wrong you're hardly the easiest person to help. You have always rejected it whether you want it or not. I came to you before I left and you literally slammed the door in my face!"

Stef turned, shaking her head but more because she knew he was right. There were times in her life it was easier to pretend the world was against her rather than allow people to come in.

"I mean, come on. You had a new passion. You'd found Lena. You'd found yourself, and I wasn't part of that picture whether you wanted me to fight to be or not." He rubbed his forehead again, bracing his chin against his thumb. "You can pretend all you like that things only changed when you and Mike divorced but we both know it started to change when you got married."

"Ty - "

"No, Stef." He stopped her firmly, the sorrow creeping into his voice.

"None of us were happy past the first couple of years. Sure things were OK, sometimes better than OK. You and Mike had the kids and I was finally able to follow some level of passion but that didn't mean there wasn't still a long way to go. When you met Lena your life was actually finally settling. Settling like the ashes from a fucking volcano, yeah, but I guess I figured I'd come back in a year or two when it really was all figured out and it would all be good again."

"So why didn't you?" She replied, trying to keep a firm tone but both of them now appeared to have descended into quiet hurt.

Tyler shook his head and heaved another sigh. He licked his lips but still no words were coming until it ended in a shrug.

"I guess I was just waiting for something that never came. An excuse to break the ice. Something more than a Christmas card. Something which would make me forget how long I'd been lying to myself about it - or that it didn't matter."

Stef nodded, biting back her lip and nursing the silence again. She placed herself down on the sofa, her hands deep in her pockets.

"So why now?" she finally responded as he took the seat next to her. There was another pause with just the crickets to punctuate their years of backlogged feelings.

"Because I heard you got married." He gave a half hearted smile as she looked over to his sorrowful face. She remained physically unmoved as her eyes fixed on the slats on the ground but internally all of her nerves were tingling. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe it makes me proud to see Lena touching you? That you finally have that normality? I watched you fall apart at that party and I watched our family do that to you. Here you have a new family - a perfect one and that's all you ever deserved. But..." He rubbed his mouth before sucking out his lips.

"You were like my big sister, Stef, and you didn't even invite me to your wedding. Your _real_ wedding. The one which I'd tease you over when you accidentally got all girly dreaming about. And sure you'd soon make some stupid joke to hide it but I always knew that somewhere you wanted at least half a fairytale. And _not_ a fairytale that included Aunt Izzy having to desperately try and hide the bulging fall out of you and Mike getting bored at one of my gigs with some marshmallow dress." He teased, unable to hold back a smirk as Stef slapped his chest, equally unable to prevent the instinctive smile from growing on her face.

"You're not meant to know that." she mumbled. The mutter was accompanied by thoughts back to their playful youth where they would laugh about the future, hiding their true dreams behind jokes and digs even though they knew it was because they weren't really wanting to hide it.

"I was your best man, Moose." He added, a mix of pride and disappointment in his voice

"You were Mike's best man - "

"You know it wasn't like that." He called her out, firmly knowing she was only resorting to technicalities because she'd already lost this one. She rested her head back, knowing he was right. He was as much there for Mike as he was for her and as rushed and chaotic as that wedding became, it was having people like Tyler that had made it worth it. "I guess that was when I realised how screwed up everything had got."

"I didn't _not_ invite you to our wedding." She finally said. "I just, I dunno. I didn't really think about inviting anyone from the extended family. My Dad wasn't even going to come - he _didn't_ come. I guess after so long I figured it wouldn't matter."

"You did think about it then." He squinted as she returned it, just as matched in menace as it was affection.

"Don't flatter yourself." She finally teased back as he flickered a gentle smile, watching her as her eyes returned to look at the floor.

"Look, I didn't deserve to be invited to your wedding. I'm not saying that I did after the way things went down."

"All I'm saying is that it was a wake up call about what we had lost through us never actually having the guts to talk about what happened. Mainly me, running like always and then being in denial." He took a deep breath. "I just didn't want to lose any more."

As his declaration met with silence, he began to rub his shoes together, trying to think of more to say.

"And these last ten years, I've missed a lot. I mean - your kids. You have like a billion. Brandon and Kasey are what like, twenty now..."

"I'm not that old." She kicked his shin gently, prompting a smile on his face at her scowl before she cast her head back down, stubbornly. "Why didn't you just tell me all this when you arrived? Why did you torture me for two days pretending like nothing happened?"

Tyler rubbed his forehead again. "I...I dunno. I guess it was just easier to stay in denial about it all. Maybe that it would just normalise. I didn't think you thought...I mean it never even occurred to me you'd think I would have a problem with you. I just figured you'd moved on and it was all awkward because we never said a proper goodbye."

"God, you don't half keep your head up your ass sometimes." Stef whispered to herself in frustration, closing her eyes as Tyler bit his lip.

"Well it's not the first time you've said that to me." He muttered. "You're always so on top of things, Stef. I knew you'd come out on top with this too."

She threw him a look, almost laughing at how many times they'd been in a similar situation of Tyler innocently bumbling his way through an apology for another oblivious act of poor judgement.

"But I mean I was right though. Lena is beautiful and kind. Everything you deserved to have."

Processing the words Stef finally broke into a quiet laugh, tossing her hair back to him again.

"I see you still rehearse for your sentimental speeches reading hallmark cards."

"Hey! I can so do sentimental. I just poured my heart out."

"I was yelling at you, that doesn't count." She bickered back as he nudged her again.

"Fine. You want me to drop the sentimental? Then shit, Moose, that Lena! You bagged a hottie! _Aa-oooh-ga!"_ He elbowed her multiple times with exaggerated flair as she pushed back shaking her head. Seeing it was working to make her laugh he continued on.

"I mean, man. That_ ass!_ If she was my wife I'd - "

"Okay, okay, point taken. Thank you. You gutter-brained horn dog." She scolded gently as his grin grew wider, Stef unable to hide her own. There was another few moments of silence as they both relaxed in the ease that had now been cast over them. They were both now thinking over all of the fun they'd had, the secrets only they shared, but along with that came all of the times they knew they had never got the chance to add.

"I have missed you, you know. A lot." She broke the repeated silence. "There's not a day goes by I don't see a trash can without thinking of you rolling down the hill into that pool of -"

"Hey, we promise not to mention that again!" He jumped to his own defence, nudging her as Stef gave a deep laugh. She now had begun to compare it to the more recent events in her memory.

"Jesus is a lot like you, you know. Whenever he gets into trouble I often try to think about what shit-brained hell you raised."

"Why, so you can remember you should easy on him?"

"No! So I can kick his ass in hope he doesn't turn out like you." She retorted, once again exchanging a playful hustle.

"Yeah well you can talk. Man you sound like Sharon with Kasey. It's like history repeating itself."

"I do _not_ sound like my mother!"

"Oh you_ so_ do! How many times when you're yelling at them do you end up confusing them with some wild exaggeration or terrible joke?" He laughed as Stef gawped offended and punched him on the arm, somehow the tensions of their heated exchange and decade's worth of anger fluttering away with every memory shared. Giving her another smile Tyler reached his arm over, pulling her under it into a gentle clasp.

"I am sorry you know. That I wasn't there for you when you most needed me to be." He finally whispered as she bit back a tear. She had been waiting for those words for too long and she hadn't fully accepted the pain she had put herself through in not putting her anger aside to seek them out. "Even if you did essentially tell me to piss off." The added vulgarity caused her to glare at him once again, even though her eyes had begun to glisten with tears.

"Oh, why do you always have to ruin the moment?" She scolded him, pawing away a tear as he laughed calmly, delighting not only in the chance to tease her but also that for the first time he felt comfortable doing so again.

"OK, OK, _shh."_ He calmed her back under his gentle charm, squeezing her shoulder and nuzzling her close.

"I do wish there was something I could do to make it up to you, Moose." After the pause she could hear that there was an earnest sincerity in his voice. In turn, the fact she was still fighting back the latent tears was just as clear.

"You could stop using that nickname around my freakin' kids." she growled back through with a sniff as the night air blew free the last of their clogged up regrets.

**Soooo - thoughts? I know a few of you predicted this but what about others? Anyone think it was heading somewhere else? The teaser this week is a little spoilery but I think we all know what's coming. Would love a review or comment if you have time!**

* * *

_**Penultimate Chapter Preview: Tyler and Stef may have solved their issues but Jude, Kasey and Jesus are about to have some of their own. **_

_**"No chance I could have hidden mine from my Mom though. She worked at the..." **_

_**He paused as he saw Kasey's wrist promptly produce a subtle cut-throat motion and swiftly remembered Lena's profession, Stef's glare towards him an extra confirmation. Kasey finally dared to look up and saw that, as anticipated, both Stef and Lena set their sights on her. **_

_**"You forged my signature?" Stef asked with a menacing glare, Kasey's eyes widening in response along with her slowly revealing gritted teeth. **_

_**"Hey do you remember when you forged - " Tyler's whisper was quickly replaced by a winded yelp as Stef's sharp elbow once again found a place just below his ribs.**_


	10. Admissions, Apologies and Admonishment

**Wow guys! Thanks for the awesome reviews. I'm so glad the fight went down well - it was a tricky one! OK, penultimate chapter now. I think quite a few have been looking forward to this one...**

**Thanks to _thesameguest_ for reading over this one!**

* * *

"That was epic." Jesus commented, his eyes wide, turning from the window now that the fight outside had diffused.

"I always wondered what Mom fighting with a brother would be like. Wow." Kasey echoed the sentiments. "I've never seen anyone give it back to her like that."

"I thought you guys were meant to be washing up?" Lena came in, Jude following behind with a stack of plates still desperate to do his self-inflicted penance.

"We were...but then Mom went all verbal war plane on Tyler and we had to see if there would be any survivors." Jesus filled them in as Kasey looked back through the window.

Lena shook her head peering out behind them, the two cousins now sat quietly clasped in a hug.

"Well it looks like they sorted it out so how about now we give them some privacy?" she pulled the blinds over.

"Uh-huh..." Kasey tried to maneuvre to be able to still see through the slits as Lena poked her arm with the washing up brush. "That wasn't a request." She added firmly.

"Alright, alright." Kasey returned to her labour.

"Do you think they'll be OK?" Jude asked sweetly, piling up the dishes at the side. Currently the only thing distressing him more than his guilt was his fears for any kind of pain for Stef.

"It looked like they already have, Jude, I wouldn't worry." Jesus picked up the pan Kasey had just washed and leaned against the side as he dried it.

Lena pulled Jude under her arm as he looked down guiltily with her touch, his heart beating fast but unable to break free from her grasp.

"Coming out wasn't easy for your Mom. I mean it's not easy for anyone but she had a hard time with a lot of her family. Sometimes you're so scared people are going to treat you differently that you interpret things that way whether they do or not. That can form a crack and a crack over a long period of time can turn into a valley."

"And boy does yelling echo in a valley." Kasey quipped, scrubbing at a pan.

"Man though, I never want Mom to tear me apart like that." Jesus scratched his eyebrow thinking back to what they'd heard.

"And yet you've been eavesdropping on me." They turned as Tyler and Stef appeared from the doorway.

"We weren't eavesdropping, you were just really loud." Kasey defended as Stef shook her head.

"And we had a bet on whether you'd make Tyler cry." Jesus admitted as Kasey dug an elbow into his gut.

"Nope. No crying from me." He smiled. "Your Mom did though." Tyler commented as Stef mimicked Kasey's action diving her arm into his, the stronger force making him wince. "You wanna go for round two?" She asked, turning.

"I'm good." he grabbed where she had stabbed him as the observers smiled and giggled.

"Well, there you go. You'll all be pleased to know that the show is over." Stef clapped her hands together in finality.

"You're good?" Kasey asked as Stef looked to Tyler who winked back, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We're good."

"You see kids, it can get a little hairy but communication can bridge those gaps back up." Lena completed her lesson.

"Yes, and if you can learn one thing from us it's probably that you should start bridging things up before stuff gets out of hand. The longer you leave it to the worse it gets."

Jude began to twitch nervously as Lena rubbed his shoulder in completely unrelated assurance.

"OK!" He yelled, leaping forward, all the faces looking to him in shock.

"OK, OK! I admit it!"

"Uhm, Jude..." Kasey advised him, looking to Jesus as the only other person in the room who knew where this was heading.

"Bud..."

"I got detention, OK? I did it and I know you're going to find out and you're going to be really mad that I screwed up!"

"You what?" Lena asked calmly, floored by the confession that was unfolding but more confused than angry.

"Uhm...Jude...really..." Kasey tugged gently on his shirt, noting Stef's narrowing eyes as she noticed her involvement but it wasn't enough to end his tirade.

"We were messing around because we got bored with the assignment and we weren't taking things seriously or listening to the teacher and he found the cartoons we'd been passing so we got detention but I was really scared that you were going to be disappointed and I was going to tell you but then you asked if I had the assignment to finish so I lied and then I freaked out and Kasey signed Mom's signature to hide the form and Jesus distracted you when you were talking to Carson and I know that you are going to yell at me for it like you always do when the others get into trouble at school but I am really, _really_ sorry!" His chest oscillated furiously as he panted looking between the silent faces around him.

He had been completely oblivious of the glares Jesus and Kasey had received from their Moms during his narration of events. Both teens were looking to each other speechless and desperately trying to avoid further eye-contact with any mothers in the room. There were a few excruciating moments of silence while Stef and Lena tried to find words that could possibly follow.

"Well uhm...Jude...that is something we do really wish you had told us. Especially...because you tried to hide it." Lena began, keeping a stern tone.

"Yeah, that's...that's really not acceptable, young man." Stef added firmly, trying to recover from the spectacle.

"I think it's best if you go upstairs and calm down and we'll come talk to you about it in a little while..." Lena finished off getting a brisk nod in agreement from Stef.

"Okay." Jude squeaked before heading to the door, only turning back for another brief apology which Lena acknowledged as he finally disappeared. She turned to a just as blindsided Stef, both still trying to process the information that had been fired at them.

"Like, I know you probably only sent him away so you can kill us, but was it just me or was that one of the cutest freakin' outbursts you've ever seen?" Kasey finally broke the silence, unable to prevent herself voicing the mutual observation.

"I remember my first detention." Tyler reminisced fondly, picking up on Kasey's tone and knowing that deep down everyone was probably thinking the same in regards to how adorable Jude's actions had looked to the spectating family. "No chance I could have hidden mine from my Mom though. She worked at the..."

He paused as he saw Kasey's wrist promptly produce a subtle cut-throat motion and swiftly remembered Lena's profession, Stef's glare towards him an extra confirmation. Kasey finally dared to look up and saw that, as anticipated, both Stef and Lena set their sights on her.

"You forged my signature?" Stef asked with a menacing glare, Kasey's eyes widening in response along with her slowly revealing gritted teeth.

"Hey do you remember when you forged - " Tyler's whisper was quickly replaced by a winded yelp as Stef's sharp elbow once again found a place just below his ribs.

"You saw how worked up he was Moms." Kasey began her defence. "Would you have really let him keep on suffering? It was hardly a big deal and he was so sorry about it. He didn't even know you needed to get the slip signed. His little face was so..." She trailed herself off seeing from the two unimpressed glare that her lapse into affection hadn't done her argument any favours. She shrugged as Lena picked up the interrogation.

"And what did he mean you distracted me? Is this where that stupid beard thing came from?" She turned to their son who so far had avoided most of the wrath.

"I didn't _really_." He put his hands in his pockets. "It didn't look like he was going to bring it up anyway."

"Do we really have to have the conversation about letting us make parental decisions and how you do each other no favours by conspiring to hide stuff from us?" Lena asked firmly her Vice Principal voice in full swing and arms folded square across her chest.

"Of course not, it's only because it was Jude. Tiny, little defenseless Jude."

Stef rolled her eyes at the angle they had chosen but decided to let him continue talking. "Besides aren't we all happy that we're bonding and he finally feels comfortable at school? Can't you cut him some slack - it was his first one." Jesus stretched his hands out to articulate his point.

"Oh we'll cut _him_ some slack, what's your excuse?" Stef alternating her gaze between them, her face morphing in to a menacing look of expectation.

Kasey and Jesus looked to each other, ready for defeat but both exercising ideas around their silently searching lips.

"All these...stories about your teenage years have been a really bad example?" Kasey ventured, regretting it almost as soon as her Mom scoffed, turning to look to Lena.

"Oh _please_ can I?" Stef pleaded with frustration to Lena who waved her approval. She was already in full steam roller mode tonight and this particular outlet for it was one which she knew would give her a lot more pleasure than the last.

The kids exchanged a telepathic comment as they waited anxiously for where this would go next, Stef's icy glare now zoning in ferociously on her children. She stepped forward to a position from which she could swing her gaze between them.

"Is it your intention to teach Jude how to get more detentions?" She demanded with a chilling serenity as the two heads shook.

"Do you_ like_ being responsible for him getting himself worked up to point of explosion?"

"Not really..." They agreed, Stef barely giving them time to answer before she picked up again.

"And considering you two are supposedly experts in how to play the system to avoid trouble, do you have_ any _defence for the boneheaded logic that somehow encouraging him to_ lie_ to us about something which you both admitted wouldn't have actually been that big a deal was the better option here?"

Both Kasey and Jesus looked at each other, realising swiftly that when laid out it really had been a terrible plan.

"We _really_ didn't think you'd find out?" Jesus shrugged as Kasey kicked his leg at the even more misguided defence.

"It was _Jude!_" Stef squinted with disbelief, barely capable of processing the stupidity in assuming this wouldn't have surfaced. "He was more likely to crack than an elephant's soapbox!"

A silent smirk escaped from Tyler's mouth at the analogy, one he quickly covered but not before Jesus caught it and felt his own grin twitching up

_"You_ - " Stef pointed, noting she had lost his attention and grabbing it back from the distraction. "Consider yourself grounded until Monday and I'm telling you now, my friend - help your siblings to sneak around from us again and you'll be bonding with them over enough yard work to keep you busy for a month." Before he could open his mouth she had already moved on.

_"You_ - " she turned outraged to Kasey who likewise bobbed her head back as far from Stef as possible, "would be smart to worry less about _my_ teenage stories and more about yours. More specifically, the rapidly falling odds as to whether they'll involve _daylight_ again if I ever catch you trying to impersonate my _signature_ again."

Kasey was about to comment but Stef was already well along her verbal rampage.

"Speaking of which, seeing as you think you're so good at standing in for me, if you were in my situation how would _you_ punish you...?"

Kasey's mouth dropped open silently miming the beginnings of ideas but knowing full well this was bound to be a trick question. She hoped the earlier threats were off the table due to this being a different crime altogether but likewise she knew her Mom would want to hit her where it hurt after the ride she'd been giving her throughout the evening.

"Are you by any chance going to try and prove you need to give me a more accurate example by increasing whatever I say?" Her eyebrows furrowed, putting together the jigsaw scattered by her tone and wording.

"She is _so_ you." Tyler whispered, leaning forward as Stef turned to silence him once again with another damning glare. The distraction gave Kasey a moment to think as she looked to Lena, clearly not planning on giving her any support.

"I guess that...given the circumstances...you would probably..." She dithered through, still too hesitant to say anything that would be used against her, but Stef's face indicated she was clearly not going to give her an out.

"Add another episode to my SVU ban?" She winced, hoping that the element of self sacrifice would fare better for her than baiting Stef to triple some minor suggestion.

"You think it could be more accurate?" Stef turned to Lena.

"I reckon you'd have gone higher." She replied in a mocking tone of calmness.

"OK, OK - two. _Please_ no more than two." Kasey closed an eye, her weakness showing that Stef had at least won the battle of wits.

"Three."

"You're not serious?" She whimpered, clearly her plan not resulting in any mercy. "That takes me into the mini-hiatus...it'll be like two months before I can catch up!"

"Really?" Stef growled back with her arms folded. "Are you seriously choosing now to expect me to care?"

"_Ugh._ No." Kasey sighed, her head dipping.

"That's the first good choice you've made in a week." Stef squinted before turning to Lena. "You wanna add anything, Mama?"

"I think you've covered it, but I reckon some time on Saturday with me and Jude would be a good opportunity for a discussion about why the school has the rules and systems that it does, followed by you two writing a couple page summary for him in order to counteract this wonderful example you've set."

Kasey and Jesus looked at each other in disgust.

"Is it too late to just take the no daylight thing?" Kasey looked back to Stef, her raising eyebrow saying more than her words could as Kasey gritted her teeth in response.

"You know, maybe we'll just finish clearing up the kitchen." She offered.

"That may be a good idea." Lena replied as they got to work.

They headed towards the stairs as Jesus and Kasey finally exhaled, Tyler giving them both a sympathetic glance and leaning in to whisper.

"You know, when we were 15..."

"_Suggs!_" Stef bit back firmly as he quickly snapped forward, not needing to be told again.

* * *

"Well this is something…" Lena whispered as they approached Jude's room but were still confident they were out of earshot.

"You know, as pissed as I am with her, Kasey was right, that was kind of adorable. He had his first guilt spasm and we didn't even mean to trigger it." Stef smirked back, now able to relax without having to keep a firm charade up for the kids.

"Yeah, it was a lot cuter than your little outburst." she teased as Stef nudged her back. "I wonder where all these kids get the stocking things up syndrome from."

"OK, OK - can we focus on the kids' flaws rather than mine, please?" she bickered as Lena raised her eyebrow.

"We do have to set the ground rules you know. He won't be scared of disappointing us forever, and he needs to learn fast that he'll not get away with sneaking around. It's only a matter of time before he learns more from the others."

"Honey…" Stef sniggered gently. "He just confessed the entire thing and narced on both of the siblings who probably gave him the idea in the first place. I think we're good for at least a little while and I think he's already taught himself a pretty big lesson...he can't pull off lying."

"He _did_ lie to me though - _and_ pulled it off, at least temporarily. That wasn't their influence. I know the main player here will be our disappointment but it doesn't seem right to punish the others and not give him anything."

"Oh, the others needed to be punished anyway. They are way too cocky about their confidence in playing the system." Stef exclaimed with a scoff under her breath. "But I do hear you..." She snaked her head round to scan the setting. "He already has his phone and video game on the bed, probably thinking we're going to take them. We may as well do if he's offering them anyway. We may as well ground him till Monday like Jesus. For the lying mainly." She poked her tongue out, revelling in still having one child still with their innocence.

Lena nudged her gently with a smile before switching it off to go into the room.

He immediately sat up as they entered, both looking as stern as they could manage. It's not that they weren't upset he had got into trouble but the remorse he had shown for a relatively small misdemeanour was too refreshing to sustain any anger or serious disappointment.

"Well young man, do you have anything else you want to say?" Stef began as Lena delicately placed herself on the edge of his bed.

"I know we shouldn't muck around in class. We were just really bored and it got out of hand."

"Well, that was bad but I'm more concerned about the lengths you went to try and hide it from us." Lena continued, Jude's eyes drooping down as he played with the cuff of his pants.

"I know, I just couldn't figure out how to tell you. I know it's not the first time I've been in trouble but I've never been in trouble at school before and I didn't want you to stop being proud of me. I didn't want to lie but then I barely even knew I was doing it and suddenly I was in too deep. I knew that I wouldn't do it again so I figured it wouldn't matter as long as I learnt my lesson."

"Well, that's good, bud, but you don't get to decide that. We're your parents and we need to know what's going on." Stef took over.

"But we'll never not be proud of you anymore just because you've made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes." Lena ran a hand down his arm.

"Yeah – if Tyler's stories have taught us anything it's that." Stef pointed out, her face cracking into a reluctant smile.

"So listen, we're gonna take these until Monday OK? You can consider yourself grounded till then." Lena took the electronics up. "And on Saturday we're going to have a bit of a discussion about the choices you made because I think you and your siblings need a bit of a reality check."

"And Jude –" Stef folded her arms sternly. "A little word of advice: if Kasey or Jesus suggest something moronically stupid, no matter how lucrative it seems, don't do it. Firstly because you'll be in ten times as much trouble when we find out, and secondly because we _will_ find out."

"I hope they're not in too much trouble, it was my fault…" His eyebrows dived again as Stef raised her eyebrow.

"For the beginning maybe but not the rest. Trust me."

"And I don't want any more detentions, got it? But if you do then you own up to it and we'll help you move forward, even if it means you'll be in a little trouble." He nodded eagerly.

"I'm not really good with lying about it anyway." He admitted as Stef stifled a laugh.

"No, you're not. And even if you were – it ain't worth it, kid. A mother always knows – and you have two!"

"OK." Lena kissed his head as she got up. "We're going to head back downstairs. If you want to come down again you can. I know you're grounded but with Tyler being here we don't want to stop you being with the family."

He nodded, looking down to the bottom of his bed. "I just want to think for a little while first."

"OK, sweets." Stef added before they passed out into the hallway to find Tyler smiling by the door, having made his own way up.

"You know I can't blame Mike for Kasey's eavesdropping genes if you let our side down." She scolded him as he followed them down the stairs.

"_A mother always knows._" He teased, ignoring the jibe. "And you say you don't sound like Aunt Sharon." He poked her arm as she reached back to tickle his stomach, a move from which he flinched back.

"I'll tell you what's not like Sharon, though - how can you go from being crazy pissed at 2 kids and all giggly and fake-mad with another over the same crime?" He grabbed her hand pulling it back and holding her under his arm as Lena leaned back against the wall smiling at them both.

"It's a skill of parenting to adapt depending on what kid you're dealing with. If we don't pull out the big guns with dumb and dumber downstairs then they'd run rings around us. Jude's just a baby. And our Moms did do that, they just got it wrong way round by yelling more at me because you'd flash those stupid little puppy dog eyes and forever _pretended_ to be the baby."

"Uhm, selective memory! Who got grounded for longer when we threw that party?"

"Uhm, yeah that is selective memory seeing as it was you who threw that party and I shouldn't have been grounded at all!"

"Okay...can you two try not to be another set of kids I have to deal with tonight." Lena scolded them through a laugh. She couldn't deny she was relieved normality had clearly been restored, she was just now slightly nervous as to what that normality entailed.

"Well, you are good Moms though." Tyler rubbed Stef's arm in their clasp as Lena leaned back against the wall smiling at them both.

"And I think we should celebrate that with the two glasses of Jack and the large red pinot that are waiting out on the porch."

"When did you bring whiskey?" Stef commented with a creased brow having heard nothing past the comment.

"I didn't, but some little birdies told me where it was kept and I figured one thing about you that definitely wouldn't have changed is that you never say no to an already poured out glass."

Stef squinted shaking her head. "Those little birdies'll be replenishing the cost of that bottle if you opened the Old Forester."

"Are you kidding? You've had that bottle since we were 18. I know you only keep it in case you need to bed a rich guy. Well, I guess girl now…" He teased as Lena looked to her, Stef's face desperately searching for an explanation.

"It's…an old joke. He's not serious…"

"No, I distinctly remember the conversation." He ignored her _do-not-proceed _glare. "You said explicitly _"I'm going to save this bottle just in case I bring a guy home who has expensive_ –" the story was quickly muffled by Stef's hand as she pushed him by the face towards the door, away from Lena's interrogating stare.

"Oh don't look at me like that." Stef defended herself. "You don't like whiskey so I never needed it for you."

"I'm more curious as to why you're still hanging onto it…" Lena folded her arms.

"Probably for if you ever found out the story of how she got in in the first pla –" Tyler added as Stef finished shoving him out the door harshly, Lena shaking her head and following them out with an eye-roll.

**OK guys! I hope that met expectations. I tried to keep things as realistic as I could based on the ways they'd handle different kids so I hope it worked! Final chapter of this one coming next! Mainly fluff but there may be a secret or two of Tyler's that he didn't want to share with Stef...and possible with good reason. Guess, comments, anecdotes - I'd love to hear them! **

* * *

_**Final Chapter Preview: The family enjoys hearing more of Tyler's stories but is there something else he came to share?**_

_**"OK, fine. Before I moved away I may have accidentally left something in Angie's possession." **_

_**"What, like she has your record player or something?" Stef squinted. **_

_**"Yeah...uhm. A little more important than that." he sipped at his drink as the family all tried to think. Kasey was the first to respond with an "Uh-oh..." before Stef looked to her and back.**_


	11. Stories, Secrets and Satisfaction

**Well folks, I hate coming to the last chapter of a story but here we are! It's been fun. Thank you all so, _so_ much for being such wonderful readers, the silent and the chatty! Thank you for your guesses, discussions and for playing along but most of all for your kind words and keeping up with my ridiculously frequent posting schedule!**

**I don't know when I will be posting the next story but I am about 3-4 chapters in, probably out of maybe 10. It'll be another short and it won't be attached to another story so if you want to know when it's out, whack me an author follow and you'll get an email! I've put an exert at the end of this one.**

**Thanks to _thesameguest_ and _TheTBone_ for providing me with endless help, advice and discussions when I am agonising over what colour socks Kasey should be wearing or some other completely irrelevant fact that I get too hung up on. You guys are the best!**

**OK, hopefully I'll speak to some of you either over on Twitter or in messages so we can fangirl over the new season (one week, guys!) but if not, hopefully see you next time.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh hush"

"It was!"

"Tyler."

"Honest to God this woman was like 200 pounds and you should have seen how fast - _ow! _Will you stop hitting me every time you don't want me to tell a story?" Tyler grabbed at where Stef's flailing hand had just clipped him as it once again cut him off.

"Maybe I would if you didn't exaggerate every single one!"

"Who won the fight?" Brandon asked, passing an empty glass between his hands. Callie sat next to him with Jude just below where he sat cross legged as she played with his hair.

"It was not a fight. It never got that far." Stef corrected him.

"Yeah 'cause you bolted out of there like a bat outta hell."

"As would you have, you didn't even have the balls to -"

"Stef..." Lena reprimanded at the turn of phrase, now fully experiencing the intricate details of what pre-responsibility Stef would have been like.

"You didn't have the _guts_ to own up to the fact it was you in the first place." She changed casually as Tyler poked his tongue out at her over the correction once Lena had looked away.

"Dishes are done. Table is done." Kasey plonked herself down on the remaining empty seat, Jesus taking a spot on the floor

"Good job, guys." Lena applauded them as Stef sipped at her glass, not quite as easy to impress.

"And what did you learn?" She goaded them.

"Not to try and do nice things for our brother?" Jesus replied as Lena knocked him softly with her foot.

"That it was a stupid idea to try and teach Jude the tricks of the trade." Kasey added as Stef guffawed.

"See, all that and they're still too cocky." She sighed, squinting at Kasey, though no room for genuine anger left even for a façade.

"You gonna make me do the who's the boss question and answer routine?"

"Please don't." Kasey groaned. "It makes you sound like a fifty year old former cheer leader with control issues."

"Hey that's not far off." Tyler whispered as Stef squinted at him.

"Except you only lasted one day as a - _ow. _ Will you quit that!" He rubbed his increasingly aching arm.

"You were a cheerleader?" Mariana's eyes bulged from her position in the chair next to Lena.

"No!" Stef stated firmly.

"Just for a day. It was for a bet and as a forfeit she had to audition and do a minimum of 1 if she got through." Tyler contradicted her immediately as the various kids smiled and Stef covered her face with her palm.

"Oh, babe." Lena teased, bearing her teeth brightly. "I love you, but do you have any pictures, Tyler?"

"No. He doesn't." She intervened before he could say what had caused his wider smile. "And I swear, I'm going to pay a guy to kidnap you and take you back to Tennessee right now. Telling them that. And calling me fifty." She muttered to herself.

"What was the bet she lo-"

"Do _not_ answer that." She demanded, with a finger in Tyler's face before Jesus could even finish the question.

"OK, you know what, I'm going to give the stories a break for a sec. Kasey why don't you help me top the drinks up?" Tyler stood up as Stef and Kasey looked to him confused.

"What?" He shrugged. "You're punishing her aren't you? I can pick up this parenting thing."

"Unbelievable." Kasey wittered as Stef patted her arm.

"Hey Kase, I'll have a top up." Brandon shook his glass as Kasey threw him back a gesture with a particular finger.

"Oh, I'll pretend I didn't see that." Lena shaded her off with her hand. "Now you definitely have to get it for him." She added before tugging her arm back and pushing her to collect Brandon's glass with a grimace.

"So how long's Tyler in town for?" Jesus asked hopping up into Kasey's vacant seat as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on how long he has off work." Stef snuggled Jesus under her arm, running her fingers in his hair.

"You gonna be sad to see him go?" Jude asked innocently as Callie squeezed his shoulders.

"What, and miss having all of these horrific memories shared with my children?" She raised her eyebrows. "I'll be devastated. However will I remember what embarrassing combination of patterned stirrup pants and denim I wore that one afternoon in 1985?"

"Ugh! Why would you wear patterned stirrup pants?" Mariana asked in disgust as Lena and Stef exchanged a smile.

"We'll make sure he gives us some prompts before he goes." Brandon added as Stef shook her head at him before Callie picked up the baton.

"Yeah, like the first line of your cheer."

"Watch it you two." Stef squinted between them as Kasey came back out with the glasses.

"OK, slave drivers. Take your poison." She sat down in front of Jesus.

"Thanks, sis." Brandon beamed a patronising beam.

"Enjoy. Hope you don't worry about whether I spat in it or not." She smiled back as he sprayed out the mouthful he'd taken. Stef jolting her with her foot in exchange.

"So Mom, who's Angie?" She turned, ignoring the reprimand.

"Angie?" She squinted.

"Yeah. Tyler's on the phone to some girl called Angie and he was speaking like she'd know who you were. Sounded kinda...I dunno. Weird." Stef dipped her eyebrows.

"Oh God..." Realisation hit. "Not that balloon-boobed bimbo. _Ty!"_ She shouted before Lena could reprimand her choice of words, Tyler emerging from the house.

"You're not in touch with Angie still?" Concern washed over her face.

"Man you _are_ a demon for eavesdropping." He threw Kasey a glare as Stef continued to interrogate him with her eyes.

"Look that is none of your business." He answered defensively sitting back down.

"Is she even still in town? I've not seen her, well, since just before you went."

"Yeah, well that's when we broke up." He filled her in.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Brandon mused.

"No, ex-partner in his law firm." Kasey mocked as he mimicked the same gesture she had given him before, Lena pushing his hand down with a light clap.

Stef pulled Tyler's attention back to her by tugging on his sleeve.

"If you broke up ten years ago why is she calling you now?"

"No reason." He immediately lost his gaze in his glass as Stef folded her arms.

"Tyler Matthew Suggs. Are you lying to me?" Stef challenged him as his eyes widened with a smirk.

"Did you actually just middle-name me?"

"Yes. So answer me."

"Why are you being so nosy, Moose?"

"Why are you being so defensive, dipsh-?"

"Stef!" Lena snapped her back to reality as the kids giggled "Seriously. I'll put you both in a time out." Lena threatened them, tiring of the bickering that was clearly being dumbed down by the whiskey.

"See I told you I always get in more trouble." she whispered to him as they sniggered into their glasses.

"We gonna find out what beach ball boobs wanted or what?"

"Jesus! I don't know which one of you lot are worse." Lena reprimanded him through a disbelieving laugh before darting a glare at her wife, too consumed with Tyler's secret to notice.

He turned to see her fixed gaze and finally rubbed a hand down his face.

"OK, fine. Before I moved away I may have accidentally left something in Angie's possession."

"What, like she has your record player or something?" Stef squinted.

"Yeah...uhm. A little more important than that." he sipped at his drink as the family all tried to think. Kasey was the first to respond with an "Uh-oh..." before Stef looked to her and back.

"Uh-oh, what? What is it?" she grew impatient as Lena slowly clocked followed by Callie.

"Honey..." Lena looked to Stef who caught the silent code, her eyebrows diving down.

"You didn't?"

"Didn't what?" Jude grew nervous as Callie whispered in his ear, ending in him wincing on Tyler's behalf.

"How long have you known?"

"Like...I dunno. I mean, how long ago did you say we broke up?"

Stef's eyes widened in horror as she sat up straighter and her mouth dropped.

"You better not be telling me that's why you left!"

"Of course not! I just...well I didn't know how to tell you."

"Wait, wait, wait - you had a kid ten years ago and you didn't tell me?" Stef exclaimed as the kids all exchanged nervous glances.

"What? I didn't want my parents to find out and we weren't exactly talking."

"But...you...-"

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Mariana was the first to ask.

"Do they live nearby?"

"You have a _kid?!"_ Stef exclaimed again in disbelief, her volume still ramping.

"Yes. She's a little girl. We Skype all the time and I come visit 6 times a year."

Stef still gaped, unsure of how this huge detail had somehow slipped by.

"What is she called?" Kasey asked, Stef's face still hanging low.

"Moose." he replied seriously as Lena immediately looked to Kasey, sensing the sudden suspiciousness of the way in which this confession had come about.

Stef's eyes narrowed, her bottom lip rising until Tyler's face finally cracked and she licked her bottom lip to prevent the expletives from leaving it. Lena rolled her eyes as Kasey broke into a mischievous laugh as slowly the other kids caught on and joined in.

"I told you that would rile her up pretty bad." Tyler licked his glistening smile as Stef chose not to articulate the names she was calling him in her head, replacing them instead by ripping off his baseball cap and promptly whipping it against his arm as he leapt up. She followed him as he tried to block as the laughter of the kids increased, including as growing smile from Lena's facepalm as she watched Stef's revenge.

"You are so dead to me after tonight!" she finished off with a final swipe before pressing the cap roughly onto Kasey's head and smacking down the visor hard to wrench it into her face.

"And you - Kasey Anne Foster! I thought you weren't risking any more trouble today!"

"Hey it was his idea. I just facilitated." she protested as she pushed the cap off.

"You, young lady, are going to be lucky if I ever let you watch SVU again. And my spoiler threat still stands!"

Kasey opened her mouth to object but Stef silenced her with a point and eyebrow raise.

"And you are lucky I didn't put you in hospital. Making me think you'd run out on a kid." she turned back to her cousin, slapping his arm once again.

"Come on, now. It was way too good an opportunity to miss after a ten year hiatus. Besides, I had to show your kids that with the right level of preparation it is possible to successfully get one over on you. Kasey was pretty adamant that most who try fail."

"See Mom, I had your back."

"Not enough." she replied through a gravel tone, pushing her with her foot again.

"He did get you pretty good Mom." Jesus knocked her arm.

"Yeah, I didn't think you ever fell for pranks!" Mariana observed.

"Kinda getting the feeling there are some more stories where pranks are concerned too..." Brandon added with a smile as Stef looked between them all.

"Well I'm kinda getting the feeling that it's time you all went to bed." she announced, a statement met with various groans and grumbles.

"Mom's right guys. Especially since half of you are in trouble." Lena added. "We've been pretty lenient tonight because of the circumstances but don't think this changes anything." she looked specifically to her boys and Kasey.

"Very good point, Mama."

"Can't we stay up just a little longer?" Jesus pleaded.

"Come on Mom!" Tyler put his arm around Stef. "Angie doesn't make Moose go to bed till at least 11." he teased, accompanying the dig with the most rounded puppy dog eyes he could muster. "Pleeeeaase?" A flash of revenge swooping through Stef's mind as he asked.

"Ugh. Look at that face." Stef babied him momentarily as she puffed her lip out cupping his cheek before shaking his chin roughly. "You know this reminds me of that time you had to try and get a favour from that girl at the academy who sucker punched you that one time. What was it you and the guys used to call her again?" Stef creased her eyebrows, a plan in the back of her mind.

"Who? PMS?"

"That's right. That nickname you and Forrest came up with."

She could feel Lena's pet peeves triggering.

"Why was it you called her that again?"

"Oh come on Stef, you remember. She could never take our jokes."

"Those sexist ones, you mean?"

"Sexist...playful. You know what the academy was like. Either way she had no sense of humour." Tyler saw the devilish delight grow across Stef's face as he quickly guessed why.

"You nicknamed a woman PMS because she didn't find sexist jokes funny?" Lena asked unimpressed, deliberately overplaying it for her wife's sake, as Stef raised her eyebrows with a childish grin.

Tyler gawped to look at her before looking through the other faces in the room, all indicating the same level of sympathy.

"Oh you're good, Mom..." Kasey whispered as Tyler was beginning to realise what he was in for. He edged a look at Lena whose arms were now staunchly folded and her left eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

"Do you wanna give me an example of one of the jokes?" she asked deadpan as the kids all immediately sprang up.

"Well, bedtime..."

"Yep, me too"

"Seconded..." 6 sets of feet began to move as Stef sat back, content, Tyler watching her through the various moving bodies that bent to hug her goodnight and knowing that Lena was still waiting to pounce onto her soapbox as soon as the kids were all gone.

"So...Tyler..." Lena began as Tyler sat back in his chair.

"Well I'm gonna get a top up." Stef declared smugly, clapping Tyler on the arm as his bottom lip twitched into a pleading smile towards his cousin's new wife.

* * *

"Well, my cab'll be here any minute." Tyler slurred as they stumbled towards the door. The rest of the house was now sleeping, the kids having gone to sleep over two hours earlier and Lena not long after.

"Hey do you remember…oh my God the cab…threw up.." Tyler tried to steady himself through the laughter but the story was a lot funnier in his head. Stef tried to shush him with a laugh and a badly co-ordinated slap on his chest.

"I swear if I knew your memory was this good I'd have never let you near my family!" She scolded him through her own drunken giggle.

"Yeah well at least I don't play dirty! Man, does Lena have a hell of a look on her when you get your foot in your mouth! If she ran the world there would be no wars, I'll tell you that." he slurred.

"That's my girl!" Stef beamed proudly. "And my girl finally met my favourite baby cousin and resident dipshit." She added clapping Tyler's cheek as he smacked her hand away with a smirk.

The words, as goading as they were, connected through to Tyler's soft spot as he held Stef's gaze for a moment in affectionate portrait. The fondness didn't go unnoticed as she shook her head gently, tustling his chest.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Suggs?" She commented, her hands landing on his shirt collar. Without answering he swept his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest and squeezing as tightly as he could. He knew the liquor would be contributing but only in so much as it was bringing out his confidence to show his affection.

Stef held him just as tightly, the years of stress she didn't even know the bottled up emotion had caused her, finally easing off her shoulders. As she could see what would probably be the taxi lights pulling up she slapped his back, pushing him away.

"You better not start crying." She poked him, wiping a tear of her own. He smiled back down to her, cupping her cheek.

"Thank you." He finally said, ignoring the comment, Stef looking back up to see where it went.

"For having a wedding that you didn't invite me to." He added as she smiled.

"Yeah, well. Thank you. For reminding me that I never did change, things just became a little different." she whispered back.

"Better different." He added squeezing her arm as the car pulled up and they bid their final goodbyes for the night.

As the car pulled away she exhaled deeply, smiling to herself through another tear. In reliving all of the confusion, feared abandonment and anger, she had been fixated on the things she thought she had lost. It was only now, as the car drove into the night, that she was remembering that it is when you know something is missing that you have the incentive to find it.

* * *

_For whatsoever from one place doth fall,_  
_Is with the tide unto an other brought:_  
_For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought._  
_— Edmund Spenser "The Faerie Queene"_

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**If you have time to leave an overall review of either this chapter or the whole story - I would be very grateful! It really helps me know what people like and what people want more/less of for future fics. If not, I just hope you enjoyed it and that you'll be back! :) ****Here's an exert from the new story:**

**[Set between Transitions and Nerd]**

**_Kasey becomes consumed with impressing a visiting professor, Jesus faces sharing some of his alone time with Emma with Stef and Mariana and Callie get out of their depth when they befriend some of the members of the football team._**

_"Jeez Kasey, you should have gone a date with this old dude." _

_"Ugh! That would be amazing!" She flopped hard against the back of her chair as Stef raised her eyebrows. "I'm not even gonna justify it." Kasey waved her hand, knowing what they were thinking. "Now that would be café conversation. Exploring the depths of one of the most intricately perfect literary minds." She was practically groaning, much to the mixture of amusement and confusion of her family. _

_"Honey, do I need to get some cold water?" Stef raised an eyebrow as Brandon eagerly reached forward. "Here I'll - " _

_"Don't even think about it." Stef grabbed him back. _

_"OK, aside from your weird perving over some old dude, can we get back to the important thing and know whether you're going to see Aaron again?" Mariana asked as Kasey screwed up her face. _

_"Ugh, Mariana. He's a nice enough guy. OK enough way to pass an hour, but no. I'm not gonna be marrying the dude. Probably not even going out with him again." _

_"Uhh!" Mariana groaned. "Honestly, why can't footballers ever ask me out. I'd actually appreciate them. _

_"The last time you went out with the poster hot guy from school he ended up being a total jackass." Kasey protested. "Why would you want to go there again?" _

_"They can't all be bad!" Mariana replied. "Besides, Chase had the school star ego thing going on -" _

_"And a school quarterback doesn't?" Jesus weighed in. _

_"True, we've trained with those guys and it doesn't matter if we could pulverise them, they still think they're better than us." Emma agreed. _

_"Don't worry Mariana, we're going to get plenty of time to learn all this for ourselves when we work with them this week." Callie assured her. "This conversation is making me more and more excited." She added, sarcastically. _

_"Oh that's right, you guys are doing the banners and photoshoot, aren't you?" Lena smiled. "Well that's gonna be fun! As much as those boys have a bit of an ego they're nice enough boys. Plus, coach has them pretty well whipped up. They're very disciplined with their training." _

_"Maybe we could learn something from them." Emma poked Jesus. _

_"Hey we're pretty disciplined!" He retorted. _

_"Sure, with the training at school and the odd run but you have to admit we've been slacking. Maybe we should get a proper training routine for our after hours stuff." _

_"I thought you already had one." Stef squinted. _

_"Sort of but it's easy to...deviate." Jesus blushed slightly. _

_"You guys don't need a routine, you need a sergeant major. Someone to make you keep to routine, like your coach." _

_"Hey Mom, you could do that. You love telling people what to do." Jude smiled with a cheeky grin as Stef narrowed her eyes at him. Emma however didn't take it in the joking way it was intended. _


End file.
